As Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week 2025 draws to a close, the question of what it truly means to be media literate in Africa takes on renewed urgency. UNESCO’s theme for this year – “Minds Over AI: MIL in Digital Spaces” – invites us to move beyond commemoration and turn awareness into action. It reminds us that the strength of democracy and social cohesion depends on citizens who can question information, evaluate sources, and communicate responsibly in an increasingly complex digital world.
Across the continent, however, the path to building this kind of literacy remains uneven. Misinformation continues to circulate unchecked, public trust in the media is fraying, and the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence has made it increasingly difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is not. In this environment, the ability to access, analyse, and produce credible information is a civic necessity.
The state of media and information literacy in Africa
Despite widespread recognition of its importance, media and information literacy has yet to find a firm foothold in many African education systems. A 2021 study published by the Communication and Media Research
Institute at the University of Westminster found that while several African countries had added digital skills to their curricula, few included provisions for misinformation literacy. In Uganda, for instance, the curricula of some organisations incorporates lessons on community news and online search but not on the verification of digital content or the critical evaluation of information sources.
The consequences of this gap are evident. According to DW Akademie’s 2023/24 Media Literacy Index, only around 1,200 citizens across Africa have participated in structured media literacy programmes. This is a stark reminder of the limited reach of current interventions. Many media institutions, constrained by resources, have yet to fully embrace their role in equipping audiences with the skills to navigate today’s information ecosystem.
Building literacy from the ground up
Against this backdrop, the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) is working to translate media and information literacy from abstract concept to lived experience. In mid-October this year, ACME piloted a Media and Information Literacy workshop concept in Arua, West Nile, Uganda, as part its Media Support for Public Accountability and Civic Engagement (M‑SPACE) project. The three-day event brought together representatives of community-based organisations, local leaders, and listener groups from across the region, testing an approach ACME hopes to expand into a recurring programme that strengthens civic engagement through media literacy.
The goal was not just to discuss the concept of media literacy, but to embed it into everyday civic life. This, ACME hopes, will help participants shift from being passive consumers of information to active users of media tools for engagement and accountability.
The sessions combined critical thinking with practical skills, including identifying misinformation, mobile photography, video editing and responsible online communication. Participants learned to identify credible sources, evaluate the accuracy of news, and use digital media ethically.
“This training has thrown me into another world I did not know before,” said participant Charles Ejiku. “The sessions on editing news and taking photographs were very useful.”
A visit to Radio Pacis, one of the region’s leading community radio stations, brought theory to life. For many, it was their first glimpse inside a newsroom. “It was my first time to enter a radio station,” said Grace Oliver Ajio, a regular radio listener. “I was so impressed that I felt I should be a staff member there.”
Gift Magezi, who had only ever had the chance to visit a radio station as a talk show guest, said the behind-the-scenes experience gave him a new appreciation of the professionalism that goes into community-focused broadcasting. “The presenters were friendly and gave us the information we needed,” he said.
For Diana Lenia, a water engineer, the visit deepened her understanding of journalism’s social role. “I fell in love with journalism,” she said. “If an opportunity came up, I would gladly serve as a community reporter.”
The enthusiasm of participants reflected something larger: that media and information literacy is not just about skills, but it is also about agency. In a region where radio remains a vital source of information and social media is increasingly shaping public debate, these new competencies can empower citizens to demand accountability.
“No one should make a mistake when I’m around,” said Jennifer E’dotia from Vurra, laughing as she described her plans to use her phone to record and share community concerns. “I will capture everything.”
Several participants pledged to document local service gaps or monitor government projects, illustrating how media and information literacy, when localised, can fuel civic engagement and improve governance outcomes.
Redefining what media and information literacy means
The experience in Arua is a microcosm of what Africa’s broader MIL agenda could look like: grounded, participatory and transformative. Media literacy must evolve beyond consumption to encompass critical reflection, creative production and civic participation.
When citizens understand how information systems work and how they can intervene in them, they are less susceptible to manipulation and more capable of contributing meaningfully to public life. This is why modern media and information literacy frameworks emphasise not only the ability to decode messages but also to create them responsibly.
School-based pilot programmes in Kenya and a few other countries have shown how early exposure to these ideas helps children assess online content, question headlines, and trace sources. These are foundational habits that underpin democratic participation. Higher education builds on these competencies, strengthening research integrity and innovation.
This type of learning, however, should not be confined to classrooms. Media institutions must model literacy in action through transparent editorial processes, newsroom open days, and partnerships with schools and communities. When citizens see how stories are verified and created, trust grows organically. The visit to Radio Pacis is a testament to how powerful such encounters can be.
Governments and policymakers must act decisively by treating media and information literacy as a cornerstone of civic education, integrated into national strategies, and supported through training, resourcing, and legislation. UNESCO’s consultations in Tanzania demonstrate how cross-sector collaboration can lay the groundwork for such frameworks.
Meanwhile, civil society organisations, including ACME and its partners, continue to fill the gaps, offering context-specific interventions that link literacy to accountability. These efforts are vital, but they cannot stand alone. Sustained progress will depend on institutional commitment at every level.
Building trust, resilience and participation
As Ourveena Geereesha Topsy-Sonoo, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information for the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, observed during World Press Freedom Day 2025, emerging technologies must strengthen rather than undermine human rights and press freedom. Media and information literacy provides the means to achieve this. It promotes transparency, ensures integrity, and aids societies in responding effectively to the evolving flow of information.
The challenge is to ensure that media and information literacy does not remain an annual talking point but becomes part of our collective civic DNA. The participants in Arua testified, newly equipped with skills to tell their own stories and monitor local governance, represent the first line of this transformation. Their experiences demonstrate that when media literacy is taught as a lived practice rather than a theory, it empowers communities to shape their own narratives.
Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2025 is therefore not just a call to recognise the value of information; it is a call to use it. The future of African societies depends on whether we can equip our citizens with the curiosity, discipline and courage to navigate the information age and to participate fully in shaping their collective destiny.
