Africa requires a Pan-African Institute of Media to sharpen the narratives and create better image for the continent, Dr Victor B. Oladokun, the Director, Communications and External Relations of the African Development Bank (AfDB) said on Thursday.
He was worried over the spate of "irresponsible journalism", which was painting "gloomy and darker" pictures of the continent.
Dr Oladukun said the future of Africa was still bright, and the continent required a healthy media that had Africa at heart to project and sell potentials of the continent.
Interacting with Journalists attending the five-day Media and Migration School, underway in Rabat, Morocco, Dr Oladukun observed that the continent was bedevilled with serious leadership deficit, and a robust media was required for Africa to inform and sharpen policy policies guidelines that would transform the continent.
"We cannot improve the socio-economic livelihoods of the African people without right policies", he said, but regretted that Africa lacked leaders with visionary capacities to see into the future and explore opportunities to enhance the fortunes of the continent.
That notwithstanding, Dr Oladukun said the AfDB was determined to create more than 250 million jobs as well as create economic opportunities in Africa over 10 years.
Dubbed: "Journalism in a Global Context-challenge Migration", the Erich-Brost Institut of Journalism in close partnership with the Africa Institute of Media, Migration and Development (AIMMAD), the AMI and Goethe Institute with funding from the Robert Bosch Stiftung is organising the September School.
Attended by about 27 Journalists from Europe and Africa, the school, aimed at building bridges between Journalists in Europe and Africa on migration.
Dr Oladukun emphasised the need for Africa to build a new generation of policy thinkers that would take over the communication or media space and academia in Africa.
This, he observed could be possible or achieved if there were structural overhaul and fundamental changes in educational systems and curricula in Africa.
Dr Oladukun pointed out that science and technology, mathematics, and engineering remained key driving forces behind industrial revolution, saying, looking at the trend of education in Africa, the continent was not prepared for the fourth industrial revolution.
He was, however, quick to add that the AfDB was investing hugely, so that African universities could churned out enough science, technology and engineering students to take-over and drive the industrial revolution in Africa.