Abaas Mpindi, the co-founder and CEO of the Media Challenge Initiative (MCI), is revolutionizing Africa’s media landscape through his work in empowering young journalists and promoting solutions-based journalism.
Since 2017, MCI has empowered 3,000 journalism students, founded over 10 youth media startups, and trained 130 program fellows in solutions-based journalism.
Mpindi’s vision is clear: to build a generation of journalists equipped with the skills, leadership, and social consciousness to change their communities.
MCI’s approach is hands-on, with a mobile newsroom delivering skills programs to 17 Ugandan universities. The organization’s Media Hub provides a collaborative space for innovators, including the fact-checking Debunk Media Initiative.
African journalists today face a generational opportunity and challenge. They report not only on what is news today, but also document stories that challenge long-held narratives about Africa. MCI’s solutions journalism newsroom, Solutions Now Africa, produces stories highlighting local strategies that work, shifting the focus from problems to solutions.
Mpindi believes that solutions journalism can help cover Africa’s unreported contributions, innovations, and urgency. By documenting challenges and providing people with existing responses, MCI is providing a fresh perspective on the continent.
With the rise of misinformation, Mpindi emphasizes the importance of adopting positive emotional communication techniques to counter controversy and clickbait.
MCI’s recent funding from the Elevate Foundation will propel the organization’s growth and evolution. Mpindi is reflective about the responsibility that comes with this recognition, acknowledging the systemic challenges that shape the media landscape. By empowering a new generation of journalists, Mpindi is shaping Africa’s future and changing the narrative.
