Her Media Diary

Epizode

• 
  A Kenyan Journalist's Investigation into AI's Stereotypical View of African Women 11.08.2026 55min

  Elvine Tina Ouma is a journalist, podcaster, and curator of Kenya's first feminist magazine. She is the host of the Feminist Spark podcast and has published across Women's Media Centre, The Elephant, Minority Africa, African Women in Media's AWiNews platform, The Nation, The Star, and Potentash Africa. As a recent fellow on gender and AI reporting, Elvine spent six months investigating how artificial intelligence is landing in the lives of African women, documenting stories that reveal both the promise and peril of AI adoption across Kenya's media, health, and political landscapes. In this episode, Dr Yemisi Akinbobola sits down with Elvine to explore her journey from a small town in Western Kenya to becoming one of the continent's most compelling voices on AI, gender, and digital rights. Elvin shares how her father nurtured her interest in politics from a young age, asking her to name government ministers and sparking a curiosity that would later shape her journalism. She recounts writing her first story at nine, starting a blog during COVID to document untold stories of widows, orphans, and survivors, and how fiction writing remains a dream she intends to pursue alongside her investigative work. Elvine also reflects on how her first fellowship with African Women in Media, focused on reporting women in politics, set the stage for her current work examining how AI accelerates violence against women leaders in Kenya. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the four groundbreaking stories Elvine produced during her fellowship. The first investigated contraception access for women with disabilities and uncovered a shocking 19-year data gap. Elvine explains how this gap undermines AI systems designed to deliver health services, as apps and chatbots are trained on data from India rather than Kenyan lived realities. She shares stories of young women with disabilities who use contraception to preserve their dignity, yet face healthcare systems and AI tools that lack the capacity to understand their needs. Her second story examined Kenya's obsession with feminising bad governance, documenting how AI accelerated the creation and circulation of misogynistic imagery during the 2024 finance bill protests. Politicians and activists were placed in bras, heels, and wigs to signal they were weak or corrupt, with the insult being womanness itself. Elvin spoke to renowned Kenyan cartoonist Gado, who told her that AI lacks the nuance political satire requires and that what is circulating online is not satire but intentional harm. Elvine's third story investigated the TikTok stranger removal trend, where users developed coded language to bypass algorithmic censorship and promote unsafe abortion services. She reveals how the mass layoff of Kenyan content moderators, replaced by AI systems that do not understand Sheng or local slang, allowed quack doctors to thrive on the platform. These sellers offer half dosages of abortion medication to maximise profit, leading to a spike in post abortion complications reported at Nairobi hospitals. Her final story was an image generation experiment that revealed how AI sees Kenyans. Doctors, presidents, and governors were all men. Nannies, nurses, and TikTokers were women. When prompted to generate images of Kenyan Muslim women at the coast, AI produced Palestinian-looking women. When asked for a young Kenyan woman at Mandamano, a protest, AI generated a light-skinned woman in booty shorts and a bralette, while a Gen Z protester without gender specification was a fully dressed man holding a Kenyan flag. Elvine argues that these biases are not neutral. They reflect and reinforce stereotypes that risk erasing African women from digital spaces. If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps amplify conversations that strengthen media ecosystems across Africa. Interested in joining a future episode of Her Media Diary? Email: yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com Join the ongoing conversation using #HerMediaDiary. Her Media Diary is produced by African Women in Media (AWiM). This episode is sponsored by Luminate. Follow African Women in Media (AWiM): Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/1ARgsBptVC/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-women-in-media/) TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@realawim?_r=1&_t=ZS-93QVDxwCcv1) X (Twitter) (https://x.com/RealAWiM) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/africanwomeninmedia?igsh=MXA4NTc4NjF1NTFnbQ==)
• 
  "AI Won't Take Your Job; But Journalists Who Don't Learn It Might Lose Theirs" 28.07.2026 31min

  Titilope Fadare-Oparinde is a multimedia journalist and founder of Generative AI Journalism with Titi, an initiative dedicated to helping African journalists integrate artificial intelligence into their workflows ethically and creatively. In this episode, Titi shares her journey from a Lagos-born journalist curious about both print and broadcast media to becoming a leading voice in AI literacy for African newsrooms. She recounts the moment she stumbled upon ChatGPT while writing a seminar paper and realized that what took weeks could be done in seconds. That discovery led her to ask a critical question: how can this tool help journalists? Titi explains how she prayed for direction, received a light bulb idea during a family devotion, and launched her initiative with personal resources and deep passion. She describes the initial resistance she faced when training older journalists who questioned what a young woman could teach them, and how she learned to acknowledge their fears, break down complex concepts, and create inclusive, hands-on learning experiences that shifted their mindset. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the gap between AI adoption and AI literacy in African newsrooms. Titi reveals that 95 per cent of Nigerian journalists use AI tools weekly, yet only 10 per cent have received structured training. She warns that newsrooms operating inside this gap risk publishing hallucinated information, reproducing Western biases, and exposing confidential sources. Titi walks listeners through the top three recurring issues she encounters: job loss fears, racial and contextual bias in AI-generated content, and hallucinations. She explains how she uses a simple exercise, asking participants to generate an image of a scientist, to reveal how AI defaults to a white man in a lab coat, and why inclusive prompting and context engineering are essential skills for African journalists. Titi also highlights initiatives like Africa No Filter's Africa Bias Buster, an AI tool designed to identify and remove bias in content, and emphasizes the importance of African journalists becoming co-architects of AI solutions and policies. Titi closes with a powerful message to African women journalists: stop staying in the background. She urges them to ask questions, join decision-making processes, and be part of shaping AI governance and newsroom policies. She reminds listeners that AI will not take their jobs, but journalists who refuse to learn AI might lose theirs. Her advice is simple: start with what you have, stay curious, and never stop advancing yourself. For Titi, curiosity is not just a mindset; it is the foundation of resilience, innovation, and survival in a rapidly changing media landscape. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Building a Media Career in the Age of AI 00:01:06 Growing Up in Lagos: Early Journalism and the NYSC Experience 00:02:05 From Mobile Journalism to AI: The Pandemic Pivot 00:02:57 The Seminar Paper Moment: Discovering AI's Power 00:04:37 The Training Gap: 95% Use AI, Only 10% Have Structured Training 00:05:04 Resistance and Change: Navigating Newsroom Skepticism 00:06:50 The Empathy Approach: Teaching Journalists Who Built Careers Without AI 00:10:45 Founding Generative AI Journalism with Titi: A Prayer Answered 00:12:08 Creative and Ethical Integration: Beyond Random AI Use 00:14:11 AWIM Learning Platform: Courses for African Journalists 00:14:59 Top Three Issues: Job Loss Fears, Bias, and Hallucinations 00:16:20 The Scientist Exercise: Exposing Racial Bias in AI 00:17:28 Prompt Engineering and the E-Book: Structured AI for Better Outputs 00:19:36 Beyond Prompting: The Bigger Problem of AI Bias from the Global North 00:21:25 Africa Bias Buster: An AI Tool to Identify and Remove Bias 00:22:59 Start Where You Are: Advice for Journalists Who've Never Used AI 00:25:07 The Human Editorial Factor: What AI Can't Replace 00:26:32 Stay Curious: The One Thing That Changes Everything 00:27:53 Women at the Table: Be Co-Architects of AI Solutions 00:30:00 Closing Thoughts: Subscribe and Stay Curious If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps amplify conversations that strengthen media ecosystems across Africa. Interested in joining a future episode of Her Media Diary? Email: yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com Join the ongoing conversation using #HerMediaDiary. Her Media Diary is produced by African Women in Media (AWiM). And this episode is sponsored by Luminate Follow African Women in Media (AWiM): Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/1ARgsBptVC/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-women-in-media/) TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@realawim?_r=1&_t=ZS-93QVDxwCcv1) X (Twitter) (https://x.com/RealAWiM) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/africanwomeninmedia?igsh=MXA4NTc4NjF1NTFnbQ==)
• 
  Carbon Credits as Collateral: How Melanin Kapital is Changing Finance for African Entrepreneurs 14.07.2026 48min

  Melanie Keita is the co-founder and CEO of Melanin Kapital, a digital bank focused on financing Africa's green economy. Born and raised in France, Melanie built a career in sustainable finance across Europe and Africa, working with the United Nations in Kenya and the German fund Finance in Motion. Her work spans corporate finance, sustainable development, and impact investing, with a focus on agriculture, renewable energy, electric mobility, and recycling. Today, she leads Melanin Kapital from Nairobi, providing innovative financing solutions to African SMEs through carbon credits, invoice financing, and clean technology loans. In this episode, Melanie discusses her decision to leave Europe and build for Africa, the philosophical foundations of her work, and why the continent's financing gap is as much a narrative problem as it is a structural one. Melanie shares how her childhood experiences with racism in rural France planted the seed for her return to the continent, and how her father's story of forced migration for economic survival shaped her commitment to creating a future where Africans can choose where they live and work. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on why African women and SMEs are systematically denied access to finance. Melanie explains how traditional banks fail to design products suited to women's business models, how Venture Capital (VC) spaces remain male-dominated and uncomfortable for women, and why only 2.6 per cent of global venture capital goes to women-led businesses. She breaks down the different types of financing African women need, from short-term cash flow loans for traders and farmers to longer-term growth capital for manufacturers and tech entrepreneurs, and why trust, segmentation, and cultural understanding are essential to closing the gender financing gap. Melanie also introduces listeners to the innovative financing model Melanin Kapital uses, including carbon credits as collateral. She explains how African businesses in the green economy are already saving carbon through electric vehicles, renewable energy, and sustainable agriculture, and how those carbon savings can be certified and sold to polluting companies in Europe and America. She argues that Africa should not be seen as a continent of potential waiting to be unlocked, but as a market already building, already innovating, and already delivering essential services to millions of people every day. Melanie reminds listeners that migration should be a choice, not an economic necessity. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: From France to Nairobi - Building for Africa 00:00:52 Growing Up Between Two Worlds: Racism and the Call to Return 00:04:08 Family Legacy: Congo, Senegal, and the Weight of Diaspora Expectations 00:07:13 The Finance Gap: Why African Entrepreneurs Can't Access Capital 00:11:31 The Gender Finance Gap: 44 Billion Dollars and Counting 00:13:21 Why Banks Fail Women: Product Design, Trust, and Cultural Disconnect 00:16:57 The VC Bro Culture Problem: Trust, Bias, and Uncomfortable Questions 00:21:14 What is Melanin Kapital? Green Economy Financing Explained 00:24:07 Carbon Credits as Collateral: Turning Environmental Impact Into Capital 00:27:42 The Narrative Problem: Why Perception Blocks African Investment 00:28:35 Philosophy Meets Finance: Ubuntu, Sankofa, and Building With Soul 00:29:41 The Real Risk Assessment: Comparing African SMEs to Silicon Valley Failures 00:33:53 Marketing Africa's Reality: From Potential to Present Tense 00:34:22 The Ebola Question: Confronting Investor Ignorance and Media Damage 00:36:38 Speaking the Language of Capital: Returns, Risk, and Unit Economics 00:38:59 Building the Value Chain: From SMEs to Economic Transformation 00:41:32 A Message to Young African Women in the Diaspora 00:42:17 The Choice Between Migration and Expatriation 00:44:31 What I Wish I'd Known: There is No Summit, Only the Journey 00:46:22 Closing Thoughts: The Story Problem and What Gets Built If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps amplify conversations that strengthen media ecosystems across Africa. Interested in joining a future episode of Her Media Diary? Email: yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com Join the ongoing conversation using #HerMediaDiary. Her Media Diary is produced by African Women in Media (AWiM). Follow African Women in Media (AWiM): Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/1ARgsBptVC/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-women-in-media/) TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@realawim?_r=1&_t=ZS-93QVDxwCcv1) X (Twitter) (https://x.com/RealAWiM) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/africanwomeninmedia?igsh=MXA4NTc4NjF1NTFnbQ==)
• 
  Who Owns AI-Generated Content? Legal Questions African Journalists Need to Ask 30.06.2026 1h 1min

  Mbanangwa Kwilasya is a compliance expert, data protection specialist, and founder of MK Legal Consultancy. She played a pivotal role in drafting Malawi's Data Protection Act, which came into force in 2024. Her work spans financial services, fintech, anti-money laundering regulations, and AI governance. As a consultant with the African Union Development Agency, she focuses on ethical AI development, intellectual property law, and building African-centric frameworks for data protection that account for the continent's diverse cultures, economies, and infrastructures. In this episode, Mbanangwa shares insights on the legal dimensions of AI adoption in African newsrooms. From her childhood in Malawi shaped by strong women to her unwavering commitment to becoming a lawyer, Mbanangwa shares how she founded MK Legal Consultancy to bridge the gap between law, compliance, and emerging technology. She explains the painstaking process of drafting Malawi's Data Protection Act, including consultations with neighboring countries, the challenge of aligning new legislation with existing laws, and the frustration of watching policy-heavy systems fail at enforcement. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the legal questions African journalists are not asking about AI. Mbanangwa warns that newsrooms using AI tools without internal policies risk exposing confidential sources, publishing hallucinated information, and reproducing Western biases embedded in training data. She describes how uploading reports to ChatGPT can constitute a data breach, how Grok was used to generate non-consensual nude images of women, and why Nigeria's enforcement actions against Gemini and Meta set a crucial precedent for the continent. She argues that African IP and data protection laws must be updated and unified at a continental level to prevent digital colonization and fragmented regulatory responses. Mbanangwa also addresses the disproportionate impact of AI on women, from deepfakes and image abuse to biased content moderation. She reflects on the UK's decision to ban social media for children under 16. She closes with a powerful message: protecting data is protecting people. When journalists safeguard the information entrusted to them, they protect their sources, their credibility, and the future of storytelling on the continent. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: AI and African Newsrooms - The Legal Questions We Need to Ask 00:01:00 Meet Mbanangwa Kwilasya: From Malawi to AI Governance and Data Protection 00:02:11 Growing Up in Malawi: Early Memories and the Women Who Shaped Her 00:07:06 Always Wanting to Be a Lawyer: The Path from Childhood Dream to Compliance 00:10:34 Founding MK Legal Consultancy: Building a Business at the Intersection of Law and Tech 00:12:56 An African-Centric Approach to Data Protection: Context, Culture, and Infrastructure 00:14:23 Drafting Malawi's Data Protection Act: Consultation, Adoption, and Implementation 00:20:34 Legal Questions African Newsrooms Should Be Asking About AI 00:25:43 Who Owns AI-Generated Content? The Intellectual Property Gap in Africa 00:29:11 The Fragmentation Problem: Why Africa Needs Continental AI Governance 00:32:38 Whose Responsibility Is It? Innovation, Finance, and Enforcement in Africa 00:36:59 Synthesized Data and African Context: Training AI on Our Own Terms 00:37:41 Data Protection in Daily AI Use: What Happens When You Upload to ChatGPT? 00:41:36 Responsible AI Use: Data Minimization and Internal Newsroom Policies 00:43:21 AI's Disproportionate Impact on Women: Surveillance, Abuse, and Bias 00:44:14 Image Rights and AI Violations: The Grok Case and Policy Responses 00:48:45 ChatGPT and Sexualized Images: The Ongoing Battle for Digital Safety 00:50:03 Social Media Bans for Children: A Parent's Perspective on Protection 00:54:34 Closing the Gap: Unified Legislation and Continental Enforcement 00:58:01 Final Thoughts: Protecting Data is Protecting People If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps amplify conversations that strengthen media ecosystems across Africa. Interested in joining a future episode of Her Media Diary? Email: yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com Learn more about the book Regulating New Media in Africa, edited by Dr Yemisi Akinbobola, Dr Vincent Obia, Dr Suleiman Bah, and Professor Oliver Carter, available from Intellect Books and major academic booksellers. Her Media Diary is produced by African Women in Media (AWiM), and this episode is sponsored by Luminate Follow African Women in Media (AWiM): Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/1ARgsBptVC/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-women-in-media/) TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@realawim?_r=1&_t=ZS-93QVDxwCcv1) X (Twitter) (https://x.com/RealAWiM) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/africanwomeninmedia?igsh=MXA4NTc4NjF1NTFnbQ==)
• 
  Umu Thoronka Case: Wrongful Dismissal & Sexual Harassment Inside Sierra Leone's Press Freedom Crisis 09.06.2026 49min

  Eastina Taylor-Tucker is the president of Women in News Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL), a seasoned broadcaster and advocate who has worked with BBC Media Action and stands at the center of one of West Africa's most significant press freedom cases in recent years. A 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow,Eastina has spent her career challenging structural inequalities in newsrooms and fighting for the safety and dignity of women journalists across Sierra Leone. In this episode, Dr Yemisi Akinbobola interviews Eastina to explore her journey to becoming a leading voice for gender justice in media. She shares how she entered journalism at 19, aced an interview despite being told she was too young and too small, and went on to work across Christian radio, mainstream media, community radio mentorship with BBC Media Action, and eventually as station manager of one of Sierra Leone's largest commercial stations. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the case of Umu Thoronka, a WIMSAL member and journalist who faced wrongful termination from Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation. Eastina walks listeners through the years-long advocacy effort led by WIMSAL, including engagement with the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights, the Independent Media Commission, and ultimately an ECOWAS court process. She explains how Umu was dismissed via phone call without warning after covering a presidential press conference and posting about being denied the opportunity to ask questions. The backlash Umu faced included death threats, online abuse, and physical intimidation, all for exercising her right to free expression. Eastina also opens up about her own experience of sexual assault by a colleague, an incident she kept silent about for years due to fear, shame, and the knowledge that speaking out often leads to disbelief and isolation. Eastina closes with a powerful call to action for policymakers, media owners, and editors. She urges them to stop treating gender-based violence as a misunderstanding or private issue and to recognize it as a serious workplace and human rights crisis. She envisions a media landscape where women are respected as professionals first, where harassment complaints are handled confidentially and independently, and where leadership undergoes mandatory gender sensitivity training. Protecting women journalists, she argues, is not just about protecting women. It is about protecting the credibility and future of journalism itself. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Building a Career in Sierra Leone's Media Landscape 00:01:30 Growing Up in Freetown: Early Signs of a Communicator 00:05:50 From School Plays to Radio: Breaking Into Media at 19 00:09:41 Facing Inequality in Mainstream Media: The AYV Experience 00:10:38 Mentoring Community Journalists: Six Years with BBC Media Action 00:11:39 On Our Radar and Capital Radio: Leading a Major Media House 00:17:59 The Umu Thoronka Case: Wrongful Dismissal and Sexual Harassment 00:20:45 Death Threats, Intimidation, and a Phone Call Dismissal 00:24:54 Fighting for Justice: From IMC to ECOWAS Court 00:27:01 The Epidemic of Silence: Sexual Harassment Across Sierra Leone's Newsrooms 00:29:48 The Kigali Declaration: What It Takes to Operationalize Gender Safety 00:34:45 Eastina's Story: Sexual Assault and the Price of Speaking Out 00:42:08 Men Who Believed: Finding Support in Unexpected Places 00:43:27 Advice to Her Younger Self: Trust Your Voice and Protect Your Mental Health 00:44:50 What Genuinely Safe Newsrooms Look Like: A Call to Action 00:47:39 Closing: Protecting Women Journalists is Protecting Press Freedom If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps amplify conversations that strengthen media ecosystems across Africa. If Umu Thoronka's story moved you, follow the case by searching her name online. If you are a woman in a newsroom who recognizes these experiences, reach out to organizations like WIMSAL or your local media associations. You are not alone, and you are not wrong for wanting better. Interested in joining a future episode of Her Media Diary? Email yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com Her Media Diary is produced by African Women in Media (AWiM). Follow African Women in Media (AWiM): Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/1ARgsBptVC/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-women-in-media/) TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@realawim?_r=1&_t=ZS-93QVDxwCcv1) X (Twitter) (https://x.com/RealAWiM) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/africanwomeninmedia?igsh=MXA4NTc4NjF1NTFnbQ==)
• 
  Beyond SEO: Why Answer Engine Optimization is the Future of Digital Visibility 26.05.2026 44min

  Adanna Adindu is a content strategist, SEO expert, and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) specialist who helps brands transition from invisibility to visibility in the digital space. As a self-described "abnormal Gen Z," she combines classical sensibilities with cutting-edge digital expertise, working remotely from Nigeria for international clients across B2B SaaS, iGaming, medical tourism, fintech, legal, and tax advisory industries. A trained lawyer turned content strategist, she has developed over 120 long-form SEO articles that have increased organic traffic for clients by up to 35 percent. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the visibility penalty women face in media and business. Adanna shares her experience leading a team of 14 male editors. She recounts the toxic backlash she received as a TV host, where viewers attacked her appearance rather than engaging with her analysis. She also describes the sexual harassment she faced while running an online menswear business during COVID, with male customers requesting hotel deliveries and unsolicited advances. These experiences fueled her determination to build authority on her own terms. Adanna introduces listeners to Answer Engine Optimization, a field beyond traditional SEO that focuses on making content rank not just on Google, but inside AI overviews, chatbots, and generative engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity. She explains how she planned her friend's wedding by sourcing all vendors through AI, and why brands that ignore AEO risk becoming invisible in a world where users no longer scroll past page one or even past AI-generated summaries. She breaks down the secret to content that ranks and converts: real human stories, structured formatting, and headings framed as problems or questions that signal value to both machines and human readers. Adanna also tackles the fear that AI will replace human writers. She argues that while AI will take over some jobs, it creates opportunities for humans to transition into editors, proofreaders, and strategists who add the human voice machines cannot replicate. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Building a Media Career Without the Noise 00:00:53 Growing Up Igbo: Family, Presence, and the Power of Being Seen 00:05:58 The Abnormal Gen Z: Why She Doesn't Fit the Mold 00:10:02 From Law to Content: Connecting the Dots Across Industries 00:12:50 Leading Men: The Toxic Reality of Being a Female Editor 00:15:35 The Visibility Penalty: Backlash, Body Shaming, and Standing Firm 00:17:37 Selling Men's Clothes Online: Sexual Harassment in Business 00:20:16 AWiM Learning Platform: Courses for African Journalists 00:21:11 Building Authority from Nigeria: Remote Work and International Clients 00:27:27 AEO, SEO, and LLMs: Writing for Machines and Humans 00:31:17 Will AI Take Over Writing? The Human Eye Still Matters 00:33:31 The Secret to Ranking: Real Stories, Real Trust, Real Results 00:35:36 From Invisible to In-Demand: Why Brilliant Nigerians Stay Buried 00:38:05 Balancing Art and Algorithms: Storytelling Meets SEO 00:41:24 Move With the Trends, Maintain Your Unique Voice 00:42:25 Parting Words: Start Building Today, the Fast Lane Isn't Sustainable If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps amplify conversations that strengthen media ecosystems across Africa. Interested in joining a future episode of Her Media Diary? Email: yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com Join the ongoing conversation using #HerMediaDiary. Her Media Diary is produced by African Women in Media (AWiM), and this episode is sponsored by Luminate Follow African Women in Media (AWiM): Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/1ARgsBptVC/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-women-in-media/) TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@realawim?_r=1&_t=ZS-93QVDxwCcv1) X (Twitter) (https://x.com/RealAWiM) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/africanwomeninmedia?igsh=MXA4NTc4NjF1NTFnbQ==)
• 
  When Gender Progress Faces Pushback: Five Taikeaways from CSW70 05.05.2026 15min

  In this special episode, Dr Yemisi Akinbobola takes listeners behind the scenes of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), held at the United Nations headquarters in New York in March 2025. Dr Yemisi opens with a striking moment from day one, where WABC TV anchor Sade Baderinwa reminded the delegates that when justice fails, women pay the price. But the most powerful intervention came from Malala Yousafzai, who challenged the world to confront selective justice. She spoke about Afghan women being barred from medical training and how the oppression of women is frequently excused as culture. Malala called it what it was: gender apartheid. In her words, speeches do not protect girls. Law, accountability, and political courage do. The theme of CSW70 was strengthening legal systems and eliminating discriminatory laws. Yet, as UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous admitted, no country fully meets its obligation to ensure women's full access to justice. For the first time in 70 years, the agreed-upon conclusions were adopted by vote rather than consensus, with the United States raising objections over gender ideology, sexual health rights, and even the word intersectionality. UN Secretary General António Guterres spoke plainly during a town hall, urging everyone to stop using diplomatic language. He said that when we push against patriarchy, patriarchy pushes back. Throughout the week, Dr Yemisi attended critical side events, including one hosted by South Africa, reflecting on lessons from its G20 presidency and the historic 1956 women's march against apartheid. She also attended the screening of Daughters of Chibok, a documentary about mothers told to wait patiently while their daughters remained missing, a heartbreaking reminder of the 2014 abductions in Nigeria. Another session focused on just transitions in energy and AI, highlighting how women in Nigeria's Niger Delta hold communities together while being shut out of decisions regarding the oil on their land. A pivotal conversation took place at the BBC Studios event on AI, deepfakes, and digital safety. Statistics show that 90 to 95 per cent of deepfakes are sexualized images targeted at women. Behind those numbers were names: Fatou Baldeh, a Gambian women's rights activist who faced threats of rape and death for campaigning against female genital mutilation, and investigative journalist Abena Zara, whose family history was fabricated by AI-generated misinformation. Both women faced horrendous attacks for daring to speak up. AI is not neutral. It has been weaponized to discredit women truth tellers. Dr Yemisi closes with five truths from CSW70; listen to the full episode to learn those truths. Chapters 00:00:00 Defending Gender Progress at CSW70 00:01:27 When Justice Fails, Women Pay the Price 00:03:07 Consensus Broken After 70 Years 00:04:18 The UN Secretary General's Warning 00:05:34 South Africa's Legacy and the 1956 Women's March 00:07:01 A Call to Action for African Media 00:08:16 Leadership, Purpose, and the Mothers of Chibok 00:09:05 Women Shut Out of Oil Decisions in Niger Delta 00:11:20 When AI Becomes a Weapon Against Women 00:12:24 Five Truths from CSW70 If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps amplify conversations that strengthen media ecosystems across Africa. Interested in joining a future episode of Her Media Diary? Email: yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com (mailto:yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com), and join the ongoing conversation using #HerMediaDiary. Her Media Diary is produced by African Women in Media (AWiM). Follow African Women in Media (AWiM): Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/1ARgsBptVC/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-women-in-media/) TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@realawim?_r=1&_t=ZS-93QVDxwCcv1) X (Twitter) (https://x.com/RealAWiM) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/africanwomeninmedia?igsh=MXA4NTc4NjF1NTFnbQ==)
• 
  From Vibe Coding to Data Sovereignty: An AI Roadmap for African Journalists 21.04.2026 43min

  Zain Verjee is the founder and CEO of the Zain Verjee Group, a communications advisory firm transforming how organizations tell stories in Africa and beyond. As a former CNN anchor and correspondent, she covered major global events and interviewed world leaders. Today, she is also co-founder of The Rundownb Studio, where she helps storytellers and newsroom leaders leverage AI responsibly in modern communications. As an executive fellow at Harvard University's Tech for All Lab, her work centers inclusivity, innovation, and equitable narratives particularly for Africa. In this episode, Dr. Yemisi Akinbobola sits down with Zain to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping newsroom workflows, the ethical guardrails African media must establish now, and whether AI will democratize storytelling or deepen inequalities. Zain speaks passionately about the critical difference between misinformation and disinformation, emphasizing that every individual must become more responsible in what they share online. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the data sovereignty crisis facing the continent. Zain warns against digital colonization, where African data is extracted, repackaged, and sold back at premium prices, much like minerals were in the past. She argues that African women have a competitive advantage in this AI driven era because they possess cultural intelligence that no existing AI model has. She challenges women in media to build their own tools, learn prompt engineering and context engineering, and stop waiting for permission from institutions or developers. Zain closes with a powerful vision of 2036 Africa, where the continent has leveraged AI to solve agricultural and health challenges, where the first billion dollar company built by one person comes from Africa, and where African storytellers control their own narratives through data ownership and technological self sufficiency. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: AI, Misinformation, and the Future of African Journalism 00:00:40 Meet Zain Verjee: From CNN Anchor to AI-Powered Storytelling Pioneer 00:02:11 Early Memories and Growing Up in Kenya 00:03:54 What's Changed and What Remains: Journalism Then and Now 00:06:29 Understanding Misinformation vs Disinformation: Your Phone is Lying to You 00:09:07 The First AI War: Content Creation in the Middle East Conflict 00:12:23 Why Africa Needs Its Own Storytelling Infrastructure 00:14:32 The Data Set War: Who Controls Africa's Story in AI? 00:16:40 Forget Wikipedia: Build Your Own 00:17:55 The Opportunity for African Women in AI: Barriers Have Collapsed 00:19:37 Cultural Intelligence: Africa's Competitive Advantage 00:20:15 International Women's Day Message: Don't Wait for Permission 00:22:43 What African DNA Means in Communication and AI Strategy 00:26:12 The Rundown Studio: Training Storytellers for the AI Era 00:29:58 Data Sovereignty and Digital Colonization: Who Owns African Data? 00:34:19 Essential Skills for Young African Journalists: From Prompt Engineering to Vibe Coding 00:38:45 From Vibe Coding to Agentic Engineering: The Future of AI Newsrooms 00:40:19 2036 Vision: Africa's AI-Powered Future 00:42:30 Closing Reflections: AI as a Power Shift for African Narratives If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Interested in joining a future episode of Her Media Diary? Email: yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com Check out the free tool (Signal HQ) built by Zain and The Rundown Studio to aid public awareness and smart information sharing here: https://signal.therundown.studio/) Her Media Diary is produced by African Women in Media (AWiM), and this episode is sponsored by Luminate Follow African Women in Media (AWiM): Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/1ARgsBptVC/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-women-in-media/) TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@realawim?_r=1&_t=ZS-93QVDxwCcv1) X (Twitter) (https://x.com/RealAWiM) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/africanwomeninmedia?igsh=MXA4NTc4NjF1NTFnbQ==)
• 
  Give to Gain: Redefining Philanthropy for Women's Movement 08.03.2026 33min

  Binaifer Nowrojee is the president of the Open Society Foundations, the world's largest private funder dedicated to advancing human rights, equity, and justice. She is an international human rights lawyer whose career spans strategic litigation, advocacy, research, and philanthropy across Africa and Asia Pacific. Earlier in her career, she investigated sexual violence during the Rwandan genocide with Human Rights Watch, contributing to the first convictions recognizing rape as a weapon of war. Today, she continues to influence global conversations on rights, accountability, and the redistribution of power. In this special International Women's Day 2025 episode, Dr. Yemisi Akinbobola sits down with Binaifer to explore the global theme Gift to Gain and what it truly means for African women, institutions, and the future of gender justice on the continent. A key focus of the episode is intergenerational collaboration. Binaifer speaks passionately about the moral imagination of Gen Z African women and how older feminists must remain humble enough to learn from new organizing strategies while also offering the institutional support and legal infrastructure built over decades. She closes with a vision of African women putting their heads and hands together across sectors, lifting the continent through passion, commitment, and a shared humanity that rejects single stories and celebrates multiplicity. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Give to Gain and Gender Justice in Africa 00:00:56 Meet Binaifer Nowrojee: First African Woman President of Open Society 00:02:24 Growing Up as a Minority: Identity and Early Awareness of Injustice 00:03:32 From Dictatorship to Democracy: The Pro-Democracy Movement in Kenya 00:05:17 Books, Writers and Awakening: Shaping a Feminist Consciousness 00:06:24 College in America: Finding Her Voice Through Anti-Apartheid Activism 00:07:35 Audre Lorde and Feminist Identity: When I Dare to Be Powerful 00:08:35 Human Rights Watch and Rwanda: Documenting Sexual Violence as a War Crime 00:10:54 What Give to Gain Means: Standing With Women on the Front Lines 00:12:42 Leadership at Open Society: A Different Kind of Philanthropy 00:14:35 Charlotte Maxeke's Legacy: If You Rise, Bring Someone With You 00:15:42 Glass Cliffs and Backlash: The Reality for Women in Power 00:18:31 Beyond Funding: What Meaningful Giving to African Women Really Requires 00:20:30 Gen Z Leadership and Moral Imagination for a New World 00:21:49 The Kigali Declaration: Addressing Gender Violence in Media 00:23:01 From Recipients to Shapers: African Women and Philanthropic Power 00:24:30 What Governments Must Give: Access, Opportunity and Getting Out of the Way 00:26:21 The Danger of a Single Story: Why Who Tells the Story Matters 00:27:37 Intergenerational Collaboration: What Each Generation Brings 00:30:05 A Vision for African Women: Passion, Commitment and Shared Humanity 00:31:28 What Philanthropy Must Give Up: Humility and the Power of Listening 00:32:25 Closing Reflections: Demanding Structural Change, Not Just Celebration If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps amplify conversations that strengthen media ecosystems across Africa. Interested in joining a future episode of Her Media Diary? Email: yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com (mailto:yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com) You can also listen via our partner radio stations across Africa, and join the ongoing conversation using #HerMediaDiary. Her Media Diary is produced by African Women in Media (AWiM). Follow African Women in Media (AWiM): Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/1ARgsBptVC/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-women-in-media/) TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@realawim?_r=1&_t=ZS-93QVDxwCcv1) X (Twitter) (https://x.com/RealAWiM) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/africanwomeninmedia?igsh=MXA4NTc4NjF1NTFnbQ==)
• 
  A Queer Feminist's Fight for Digital Safe Spaces 03.03.2026 39min

  Charity Nafula is a queer feminist, certified accountant, podcaster, and passionate advocate for digital dignity. As the Executive Director of Queer Prism 256, Charity uses podcasting and art to amplify the everyday lives of marginalized women in Uganda, creating intentional safe spaces for queer women to share their stories without fear of judgment or exposure. In this episode, Dr Yemisi Akinbobola sits down with Charity to explore her journey from growing up in a religious home in Uganda to discovering her sexuality in secondary school, and eventually joining the LGBTQ community in 2015. Charity opens up about the moment she first saw pride coverage in the news and her deep desire to be part of it, even when she couldn't physically attend. She reflects on how she never saw her identity as something negative, which gave her the courage to step fully into advocacy work that now spans accounting, activism, and storytelling. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the intersection of technology, AI, and gender-based violence within queer communities. Charity shares harrowing examples of tech-facilitated GBV—from being outed on TikTok alongside other queer activists, to the fear of being blackmailed, doxxed, or having her home vandalized. She describes the anxiety of relocating for safety, and the devastating impact on friends who risked losing their marriages and children due to online exposure. Charity calls out how social media platforms and AI tools are weaponized against marginalized communities, and challenges tech companies to prioritize ethical design, survivor-centered surveys, and proactive safety measures before launching new platforms. Charity also envisions what a queer feminist AI tool could look like—one rooted in storytelling support, mental health resources, counter-misinformation capabilities, and radical inclusivity. Charity's message is clear: queer people are not defined by their sexuality; they are parents, taxpayers, contributors to the economy, and deserving of dignity, safety, and representation. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Amplifying Marginalized Voices Through Media 00:01:14 Growing Up and Discovering Identity in a Religious Home 00:03:58 Wearing Many Hats: Activism Meets Accounting 00:05:18 Being Visible as a Queer Woman in Uganda 00:06:19 Creating Queer Prism 256: A Safe Space for Women 00:07:44 What a Safe Space Really Means: Trust and Accountability 00:09:29 Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: The Daily Reality 00:13:19 The TikTok Outing: A Personal Story of Fear and Survival 00:16:57 Source Her: Connecting Journalists with African Female Experts 00:18:13 AI, Deepfakes, and Digital Surveillance: Weaponizing Technology 00:18:48 What Tech Companies Must Do: Centering Survivors and Safety 00:26:37 Algorithmic Erasure and Hate Speech Amplification 00:27:10 Media's Role: Reporting for Change, Not Just Clicks 00:31:23 Designing a Queer Feminist AI Tool: Healing and Storytelling 00:35:12 Final Message: Be Kind, Be Human, Report with Empathy 00:38:27 Closing Reflections: Designing Differently for Joy and Care If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps amplify conversations that strengthen media ecosystems across Africa. Interested in joining a future episode of Her Media Diary? Email: yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com (mailto:yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com) You can also listen via our partner radio stations across Africa, and join the ongoing conversation using #HerMediaDiary. Her Media Diary is produced by African Women in Media (AWiM). Follow African Women in Media (AWiM): Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/1ARgsBptVC/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-women-in-media/) TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@realawim?_r=1&_t=ZS-93QVDxwCcv1) X (Twitter) (https://x.com/RealAWiM) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/africanwomeninmedia?igsh=MXA4NTc4NjF1NTFnbQ==)
• 
  Asking the Uncomfortable Questions About Women in Media - Official Trailer 02.03.2026 2min

  Subscribe and follow Her Media Diary on all your favorite podcast platforms. Tune in via our partner radio stations across Africa, and join the ongoing conversation using #HerMediaDiary. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: The Uncomfortable Questions We Need to Ask 00:00:14 Who Protects Women in Media? Safety and Consequences 00:00:20 Representation and Solutions: Who Decides Our Stories? 00:00:34 Meet Dr. Yemisi Akinbobola: Experience Across Media Systems 00:00:48 The Visibility Paradox: Labour, Power and Safety 00:00:55 Centering the Conversation: Voices of Successful African Women 00:01:08 Inside and Outside: Interrogating Media from Critical Distance 00:01:21 Why This Matters: Uncomfortable but Necessary Questions 00:01:29 What You'll Gain: Tools, Orientation and Understanding 00:01:42 Join the Conversation: Where to Listen and Learn More If you'd like to join a future episode of this podcast, send an email to yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com (mailto:yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com). Or visit our website at www.hermediadiary.com Her Media Diary is produced by African Women in Media (AWiM). Follow African Women in Media (AWiM): Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/1ARgsBptVC/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-women-in-media/) TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@realawim?_r=1&_t=ZS-93QVDxwCcv1) X (Twitter) (https://x.com/RealAWiM) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/africanwomeninmedia?igsh=MXA4NTc4NjF1NTFnbQ==)
• 
  The 'Single Story' is Killing Africa: Can AI Change the Narrative? 17.02.2026 39min

  Moky Makura is the Executive Director of Africa No Filter, a donor collaborative working to shift stereotypical narratives about Africa through storytelling, research, and advocacy. With a rich career spanning media, philanthropy, and narrative change, Moky has dedicated decades to challenging the single story told about the continent. In this episode, Dr. Yemisi Akinbobola sits down with Moky to explore her personal journey from growing up in Lagos to becoming a leading voice in the fight against African stereotypes. Moky traces her awakening back to the 1985 Live Aid concert, a moment that crystallized how Africa was being depicted to the world—not as a diverse continent of 54 countries, but as a monolithic place defined solely by poverty and crisis. A significant portion of the discussion focuses on artificial intelligence and its implications for African journalism. Moky introduces the Africa Bias Buster, an AI tool developed by Africa No Filter that doesn't write stories for journalists, but instead identifies biases in their reporting—flagging missing voices, problematic framing, and stereotypical language. She explains the journey of building this tool, the challenges of training AI with better narratives about Africa, and why existing AI platforms still perpetuate limited, stereotypical views of the continent. Moky also addresses the changing philanthropic landscape and how Africa No Filter is adapting by seeking African funding and launching Opportunity Africa—a brand campaign positioning the continent through the lens of opportunity, progress, and innovation rather than dependency and crisis. She argues passionately that narrative change is not PR, but a platform on which all development work must stand, because unless Africans believe in their own continent, no intervention will truly succeed. Moky challenges journalists to look back at their body of work and ask: what single story have I been telling about my country? Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: AI, African Newsrooms & Narrative Change 00:01:25 Meet Moky Makura: From Lagos to Global Narrative Change 00:03:03 The Live Aid Moment: When Stereotypes Took Hold 00:06:06 The Power of Narrative: How Stories Shape Beliefs and Actions 00:10:11 Moky's Personal Mission: From Living It to Africa No Filter 00:12:48 African Newsrooms as Part of the Problem 00:16:02 AI Readiness in African Newsrooms: Challenges and Opportunities 00:17:56 The Africa Bias Buster: Building an AI Tool for Better Journalism 00:19:18 Training Journalists: The Story Telling Skills Gap 00:23:41 Building the Bias Buster: The Technical Journey 00:29:57 Whose Perspective? Defining Bias from an African Lens 00:33:35 The Funding Landscape: Philanthropy, Politics & African Media 00:35:49 Opportunity Africa: Branding the Continent for Young People 00:38:11 Closing Reflections: The Journey Continues If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps amplify conversations that strengthen media ecosystems across Africa. Interested in joining a future episode of Her Media Diary? Email: yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com (mailto:yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com) You can also listen via our partner radio stations across Africa, and join the ongoing conversation using #HerMediaDiary. Her Media Diary is produced by African Women in Media (AWiM), and this episode is sponsored by Luminate Follow African Women in Media (AWiM): Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/1ARgsBptVC/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-women-in-media/) TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@realawim?_r=1&_t=ZS-93QVDxwCcv1) X (Twitter) (https://x.com/RealAWiM) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/africanwomeninmedia?igsh=MXA4NTc4NjF1NTFnbQ==)
• 
  How Investing in Local Newsrooms Can Help Fight Corruption 03.02.2026 53min

  Recorded live at the African Women in Media 2025 Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this special episode explores the critical theme of investing in local media and journalism, with a particular focus on the MacArthur Foundation's On Nigeria Programme. Dr. Yemisi Akinbobola is joined by three remarkable women whose work spans policy, community accountability, and local journalism: Fatima Mohammed Ahmed, Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists in Gombe State; Dr. Adaobi Obiabumuo, Programme Manager and founding member of the Progressive Impact Organisation for Community Development (PRIMORG); and Oluwadara Ajala, Programme Manager of Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) for West and East Africa. The conversation delves into why local journalism matters, particularly in conflict-affected regions where women journalists work with extraordinary courage despite facing cultural barriers, safety risks, and limited resources. Fatima speaks powerfully about the need for trust-building between journalists and communities recovering from trauma, while Adaobi emphasizes how local journalism holds duty bearers accountable and gives voice to marginalized communities. One of the key discussions revolves around sustainability beyond donor funding. The panel explores alternative revenue models for media organizations, with Dara challenging the notion that audiences won't pay for quality journalism. She argues that media organizations need to move beyond advertising dependency and embrace audience revenue, citing examples like Daily Maverick's successful membership model. The episode also addresses the role of philanthropy in strengthening local journalism without compromising editorial independence, the importance of community engagement strategies, and how investigative journalism has led to tangible policy changes and government accountability in Nigeria. Subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. If you'd like to join an episode of this podcast, send an email to yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com (mailto:yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com). Or visit our website at www.hermediadiary.com Subscribe and follow Her Media Diary on all your favourite podcast platforms. Also, tune in to our partner radio stations from anywhere across Africa. And don't forget to join the conversation using the hashtag #hermediadiary. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Live from African Women in Media 2025 00:00:43 Meet the Panel: Three Voices from Nigeria's Media Ecosystem 00:02:00 Why Local Journalism Matters: Personal Perspectives 00:06:07 The Role of Philanthropy in Strengthening Local Media 00:07:39 Real Change on the Ground: Impact Stories 00:10:29 Journalism in Conflict Zones: The Borno State Experience 00:13:42 Critical Skills and Resources for Local Journalists 00:19:58 The Kigali Declaration: Addressing Gender Violence in Media 00:21:11 Tools and Training That Make a Difference 00:23:08 Measuring Impact: Does Media Support Actually Work? 00:25:07 MacArthur Foundation's Impact in Northern Nigeria 00:28:42 Challenges Despite Support: Sustainability and Government Restrictions 00:30:30 Media Revenue Models: Beyond Advertising 00:41:27 Collaboration Without Compromising Independence 00:45:04 Radio vs Social Media for Accountability Campaigns 00:46:50 Advice for Young Journalists Driving Accountability 00:48:20 What Donors Underestimate in Northern Nigeria 00:49:30 Future Opportunities: Community-Centered Journalism 00:50:41 What Gives Us Hope: Closing Reflections 00:52:27 Closing Remarks: Investing in Nation-Building Her Media Diary is a product of African Women in Media (AWiM), and this episode is sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation. Follow AWiM: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/share/1ARgsBptVC/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-women-in-media/ TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@realawim?_r=1&_t=ZS-93QVDxwCcv1 X (Twitter): https://x.com/RealAWiM Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africanwomeninmedia?igsh=MXA4NTc4NjF1NTFnbQ==
• 
  Her Media Diary Episode 51: "Achieving Digital Safety Through Creativity" with Neema Iyer 16.09.2025 40min

  Neema Iyer is the founder of Pollicy, an innovative feminist civic technology collective in Kampala that combines data, design, and digital rights. Under her leadership, Pollicy has led 100+ projects, trained 5,000+ individuals in data skills, and created playful civic tools like “Digital Safe‑tea” and “Choose Your Own Fake News”. In 2021, she was appointed to Facebook/Meta’s Global Women’s Safety Advisory Board.One of the key discussions in this episode with Neema revolves around the necessity of centering African women's voices in technology. She emphasizes that digital tools should be designed with the needs of African women in mind, rather than being an afterthought. This perspective is crucial in a world where technology often perpetuates existing inequalities.The conversation also touches on the importance of play and creativity in learning. Neema argues that traditional educational methods can be restrictive, especially for girls. She believes that incorporating play into learning not only makes it more engaging but also fosters a deeper understanding of complex issues like digital safety and gender-based violence.This innovative approach is reflected in her work with Policy, where they utilize games and interactive tools to educate communities about digital safety in a way that feels accessible and relatable.Subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.If you’d like to join an episode of this podcast, send an email to yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com. Or visit our website at www.hermediadiary.comSubscribe and follow Her Media Diary on all your favourite podcast platforms. Also, tune in to our partner radio stations from anywhere across Africa. And don’t forget to join the conversation using the hashtag #hermediadiary.
• 
  Her Media Diary Episode 50: "Spinning Truth to Power" with Farah Fortune 09.09.2025 46min

  Farah Fortune is the founder & Managing Director of African Star Communications, a full-service PR agency, focusing on customized strategic public relations campaigns.Farah, dubbed ‘The Pitbull in Heels’, established her PR agency in 2008 with just R1,000, a laptop, and a phone, and is the brain behind some of the continent’s most iconic brand and celebrity campaigns.In this episode, Farah talks about starting from scratch, managing public crises, mentoring young women in PR, and vital tips every communications professional should have. She also talks about the benefits of building and maintaining a strong relationship with the media as a PR manager, being authentic and giving genuine, relevant information at all times.Subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.If you’d like to join an episode of this podcast, send an email to yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com. Or visit our website at www.hermediadiary.comSubscribe and follow Her Media Diary on all your favourite podcast platforms. Also, tune in to our partner radio stations from anywhere across Africa. And don’t forget to join the conversation using the hashtag #hermediadiary.
• 
  Her Media Diary Episode 49: "Seen, Heard & Leading in Corporate Spaces" with Fatima Jones 26.08.2025 34min

  Fatima Jones is the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at the Dance Theatre of Harlem. With a career spanning over 20 years in public relations, marketing, and communications, predominantly in the nonprofit and arts sectors, her specialty lies in positioning cultural institutions in ways that not only increase visibility but also ensure they are culturally relevant, inclusive, and reflective of diverse audiences.In this episode, Fatima speaks on age-old strategies and principles for effective corporate communication that are still relevant today despite technological advancements.She cited times when she was asked to be seen and not heard; to just be the ‘black face’ in the room whose opinion is not needed. She also talks about some of the things that keep her going as a black female in the corporate communications sector, regardless of the many barriers that come with it.Subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.If you’d like to join an episode of this podcast, send an email to yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com. Or visit our website at www.hermediadiary.comSubscribe and follow Her Media Diary on all your favourite podcast platforms. Also, tune in to our partner radio stations from anywhere across Africa. And don’t forget to join the conversation using the hashtag #hermediadiary.
• 
  Her Media Diary Episode 48: "Bringing Rigour to African Journalism" with Stephanie Busari 19.08.2025 1h 8min

  Stephanie Busari is the founder and CEO of SBB Media, an organisation dedicated to ensuring that Africa's stories are authored, owned, and told by those who understand its soul. She is also an Emmy Award-winning journalist and Former Head of Africa digital team at CNN. In April 2016, she exclusively obtained the “proof of life” video showing that the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls. This footage was crucial in facilitating negotiations that led to the release of over 100 girls.In this episode, she talks about the ethics of storytelling, the responsibility of media in times of crisis, and what it takes to lead in international journalism as an African woman. Stephanie, among other things, advises African women to learn the act of putting their hands out to do challenging but impactful work.Subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.If you’d like to join an episode of this podcast, send an email to yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com. Or visit our website at www.hermediadiary.comSubscribe and follow Her Media Diary on all your favourite podcast platforms, Also, tune in to our partner radio stations from anywhere across Africa. And don’t forget to join the conversation using the hashtag, #hermediadiary.
• 
  Her Media Diary Episode 47: "Linking Human Bias to AI & Machine Learning" with Deborah Kanubala 05.08.2025 52min

  Deborah is a PhD Candidate at Universität des Saarlandes (Germany), researching fair machine learning to reduce bias against marginalized groups. Prior to her PhD, she was a Lecturer in Data Science & AI at the Academic City University College, Accra, Ghana. She is also the co‑founder of Women Promoting Science to the Younger Generation (WPSYG), an organisation supporting more girls into STEM and AI.In this episode, Deborah unpacks how generative AI can deepen gender-based harm, especially for African women. She discusses how machine learning models are shaped by historical human bias, which is then transferred to machine learning models, leading to continued discrimination.According to her, investing in research that focuses on auditing the systems should not be an afterthought of big tech companies but something they should embed into the system from the start.Subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.If you’d like to join an episode of this podcast, send an email to yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com. Or visit our website at www.hermediadiary.comSubscribe and follow Her Media Diary on all your favourite podcast platforms, Also, tune in to our partner radio stations from anywhere across Africa. And don’t forget to join the conversation using the hashtag, #hermediadiary.
• 
  Her Media Diary Episode 46: "Curating Datasets against AI-Facilitated GBV" with Mwende Mukwanyaga 15.07.2025 1h 3min

  Mwende is the Co-convener of the AI Salon by Webworks, with expertise in AI ethics, data journalism, ethnographic research, and dataset building. She also specialises in critiquing models and systems for bias, and teaching media and institutions how to adapt to AI in a meaningful and responsible manner.In this episode, she joins us to talk about tech-facilitated GBV, the risks of AI-generated harm, and what it means to reclaim data with care and creativity.Mwende reminds us that data isn’t neutral; it’s shaped by who gets counted and who gets erased. And as generative AI becomes more powerful, we need storytellers like her, brave enough to collect what’s missing, and wise enough to tell it with careSubscribe, leave a review and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.If you’d like to join an episode of this podcast, send an email to yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com. Or visit our website at www.hermediadiary.comSubscribe and follow Her Media Diary on all your favourite podcast platforms, Also, tune in to our partner radio stations from anywhere across Africa. And don’t forget to join the conversation using the hashtag #hermediadiary.
• 
  Her Media Diary Episode 45: "Regulating AI: Who's Responsible for Gendered Harm?" with Dr Grace Githaiga 08.07.2025 57min

  Dr. Grace Githaiga is the CEO at KICTANET and a visionary leader with over 20 years of expertise in ICT policy advocacy. She spearheads progressive advocacy for inclusive ICT policies on data protection, cybersecurity, gender, accessibility, and civic digital rights.In this episode, she joins us to unpack what feminist digital justice really means in the age of AI, and why we must act now to make our digital futures safe and inclusive for all. She encourages women to learn to report cases of Tech-facilitated GBV both to law enforcement agencies and tech platforms. According to her, these platforms would most likely be moved to action when they have so many people reporting cases of abuse as against when it is just a few persons.Subscribe, leave a review and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.If you’d like to join an episode of this podcast, send an email to yemisi@africanwomeninmedia.com. Or visit our website at www.hermediadiary.comSubscribe and follow Her Media Diary on all your favourite podcast platforms, Also, tune in to our partner radio stations from anywhere across Africa. And don’t forget to join the conversation using the hashtag, #hermediadiary.