Media Policy and Resilience in Africa: Insights from CTRL+J and the M20 Summit (Sept.2025)
From the Ctrl+J Africa Conference on media resilience and digital transformation, to the M20 Summit in South Africa, an independent initiative held alongside the official G20 programme under the South African presidency, these platforms have advanced critical debates on information integrity, AI governance, and the future of public interest media.
Information Integrity on the Line: M20 Demands Action from G20 Leaders
A broad alliance of media organisations, civil-society partners and information experts gathered in Johannesburg on 1–2 September 2025, for the M20 (a parallel, independent initiative to the G20) to insist on a simple but urgent proposition: journalism is a public good, and information integrity must be protected as such by the world’s most influential economies.
The M20 Johannesburg Declaration, adopted at the summit, synthesises months of global consultation and eight policy briefs. It builds on and supports existing global frameworks, including the Windhoek Declaration of 1991 on a Free, Pluralistic and Independent African media, and the Windhoek+30 Declaration of 2021 on Information as a Public Good.
➡️ Read the full M20 Johannesburg Declaration
CTRL+J Africa: Building Resilient Journalism in the Digital Era
CTRL+J Africa examined the urgent challenges facing journalism across the continent amid technological disruption, shrinking civic space, and fragile media economies. As newsrooms confront declining revenues, disinformation, surveillance, and restrictive laws, the need for resilient, sustainable, and independent media has never been greater.
Across the continent, countries are asserting digital sovereignty — from holding big tech accountable in Kenya and Nigeria to reimagining funding and regulatory models in South Africa — demonstrating Africa’s leadership in shaping a human rights–driven information ecosystem.
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