By Kemiso Wessie
Dr. Agaredech Jemaneh is a researcher, media professional and associate professor at Addis Ababa University whose work spans gender studies, media and literature. Dr Jemaneh is committed to shaping journalism education while actively engaging with media institutions and public service in Ethiopia.
Born in a rural beautifully mountainous region 55 kilometres from Addis Ababa, Agaredech recalls that although she moved to the city at age two, she’s still connected strongly to her birthplace, although the place still lacks infrastructure and other basic amenities. This personal connection is seen in the work she does outside of academia, serving as a city council member in Addis Ababa, regulating public sectors, and being a board member of the Ethiopian Mass Media Authority and the Ethiopian Media Council.
Though hesitant to define herself in just three words, Dr. Jemenah embraces the challenge: “I am patient and persistent. I never give up. I am also hardworking and sociable, or at least I’d love to be seen this way,” she mused. On a personal note, Dr. Jemaneh is also a wife and mother to a son.
Jemaneh’s current work spans both national initiatives and academic contributions, shaping communication in Ethiopia and the broader East African region. She is currently focused on developing a blueprint to assess the capacity of communication professionals within the public sector. This is a national initiative, which she considers a form of community service. The School of Journalism and Communication at Addis Ababa University is also preparing to host the 15th annual East African Communication Association conference on August 27th – 29th 2025, which Dr Jemenah says is a huge success for her since she is the convenor.
She pursued her BA and MA at Addis Ababa University before earning her PhD from the University of Tromsø in Norway. Now an associate professor, she has dedicated her career to shaping journalism education in Ethiopia and beyond.
As a full-time educator, Dr. Jemaneh’s love for teaching stems from her continuous engagement with students. As much as she shares her knowledge, “I [also] learn from my students,” she says. She integrates her extensive professional experience into her courses, merging theoretical knowledge with real-world applications. “I test myself daily. Am I knowledgeable? Am I up to date? Am I up to the standards of my students?”
To ensure she meets the highest educational standards, she dedicates extensive time to reading and research. For her teaching is about staying intellectually agile and connected with local and international scholars. “It keeps me learning, refreshing and updating myself with existing knowledge.”
Dr. Jemaneh’s research interests are deeply rooted in her education. Her background in literature trained her to analyse characters in fiction, a skill that later shaped her work in media studies. “My research focuses on the media’s approach to women, audience reception, media ethics and journalistic integrity,” she explains. She also identifies topics and issues through personal experiences and observation of media content.
In response to Ethiopia’s ongoing macroeconomic reforms and the introduction of a capital market, Dr. Jemaneh is also training journalists in this emerging field of financial journalism. Her role in this is to contextualise Ethiopia’s media landscape as well as equip students with the necessary skills that prepare them to cover complex topics with greater depth and precision.
Her contributions also extend to professional organisations. She is a founding member of the Ethiopian Media Women’s Association (EMWA) and was instrumental in the formation of the Ethiopian Media Association (EMA) over 20 years ago.
Journalism education in Africa faces several hurdles, according to Dr. Jemaneh. One of the biggest challenges is the dominance of Western-authored textbooks. “We are using their products to teach our students but the reality in Africa is different,” says Jemaneh.
The rise of social and digital media presents another challenge as students are consuming media differently, but curricula must evolve to reflect these changes. Another pressing issue is the disconnect between academia and the industry. “We produce university graduates, but the media industry may not accept them, may not recognise their academic knowledge,” says Dr. Jemaneh.
This gap between theoretical education and practical newsroom experience remains a major concern. “Journalism has dual aspects: theory and skills,” yet many students graduate without sufficient hands-on training. Moreover, some educators come from purely theoretical backgrounds, with little to no newsroom experience. “The practical elements are very important to prepare the graduates for the field.”
To ensure this Dr. Jemaneh actively engages with the media industry by maintaining and creating relationships with media managers and media professionals. This helps her tailor her courses to reflect the evolving media landscape.
Another strategy she employs is assigning students to do action research, with the findings integrated into the practical and overall syllabus. “I link the industry with the theoretical frameworks and I link the classroom with the reality on the ground,” Dr. Jemaneh states. Her stance is clear: journalism education should evolve alongside the industry it serves.
Where media illiterates fall for misinformation and disinformation, it is the role of the journalist to help them understand their environment and interpret the policies and issues that affect them. “A good journalist is the one who helps the people to uncover what is hidden.” She adds that such a person should be a researcher, open-minded, impartial, and ethical.
Agaredech’s dinner party guest list would be a trio of leading women in politics, academia and media. This includes Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the former president of Liberia who is the first elected woman president of an African country, “I love her, I wish I could meet her,” Dr. Jemeneh gushes.
Taking the second seat is feminist scholar and professor of women’s and gender studies, Chandra Mohanty. “Spending even half an hour with her would be enough. I would ask her questions about the challenges women face in different societies,” Agaredech explains. She adds that women from Ethiopia and Mohanty’s native India share common struggles and would like the opportunity to discuss with her possible strategies to address them.
Completing the table is Canadian journalist Lyse Doucet, BBC’s Chief International Correspondent. “She is incredibly courageous and takes risks when covering conflicts, [and] I admire her deeply,” Agaredech adds.
When she’s not teaching or researching, Dr. Jemaneh enjoys reading fiction and soaking up the arts like visual art, music and drama films. Moving more indoors, she enjoys taking care of pets and plants, and also mentions her past enthusiasm for philately, “I have thousands of stamps collected during my youth, but I don’t know what to do with them now,” Dr. Jemaneh says playfully.
The one superpower she wishes for leans toward social justice. If she could wield any extraordinary ability, she says, it would be to end ethnic-based conflicts and deaths in Ethiopia, a country home to more than 85 ethnic groups. The weight of history and the pain of division are clear in her words, but so is her hope for a different future. “If I had that power, I would bring those people – who have centuries of good and interesting histories – together again,” Dr. Jemaneh concludes.