The Union Catholique Africaine de la Presse (UCAP), also known as the African Catholic Union of the Press, in collaboration with the Catholic Association of Media Practitioners-Ghana (CAMP-G), is set to host its prestigious Triennial Congress from 10th to 17th August, 2025, at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Legon, Accra, Ghana.

This landmark event, the most significant gathering of Catholic journalists in Africa, will bring together media professionals, researchers, and experts in digital technology from across the continent and beyond. The theme for the Congress is: “Balancing Technological Progress and the Preservation of Human Values in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”

Congress Highlights

The UCAP Congress 2025 will feature discussions and deliberations on critical issues arising from or related to integral human development, particularly within the framework of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Some of the key sub-themes to be addressed include:

• Corporate Social Responsibility in Managing the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Values
• Deploying AI in Eco-friendly Business Start-ups in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges
• Technology and the Reprogramming of Social Reality
• Distortion of Reality in Social and Digital Media
• Ecological Education and Action Against Unsustainable Exploitation of Natural Resources
• Media and the Promotion of the Recommendations of the Synod on Synodality in Africa

Participants will include media professionals from both ecclesiastical and lay organisations, media researchers and academics, representatives from the Vatican, government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the digital technology sector.

Objectives of the Congress

The primary goal of this Congress is to strengthen the capacities of media professionals and educate the public on the necessity of preserving human values amid rapid technological progress. Specific objectives include:

1. Training 100 media practitioners in Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies, with a focus on balancing innovation and human values.
2. Promoting ethics and bioethics in technical research and technological innovations through media.
3. Advocating for human values such as respect for life, human dignity, charity, solidarity, and human rights.
4. Assessing the impact of technological progress to better understand the challenges, risks, and opportunities presented by AI.

Expected Outcomes

• Development of action plans and recommendations for governments, corporations, and civil society to mitigate the impact of AI and other technological advances on human development.
• Increased media discourse on AI’s effects on human values and the necessity of interventions.
• Establishment of ecological education and media literacy projects for national UCAP branches to implement resolutions from the Congress.

About the Organising Committee
Mrs. Victoria Lugey, immediate past President of CAMP-G and also immediate past Vice President of UCAP as well as Sir Ben Batabe Assorow, the Managing Editor of the Ghana Catholic Standard are co-chairpersons of the Organising Committee. Other key members are Mr Charles Ayetan, President of UCAP; Mr. Stephen Patrick Asante, the current President of CAMP-G; Professor Ben Nnamdi Emenyeonu, a Communication Lecturer and also a member of the Council of Elders of UCAP; Mr Franklin Anane-Gyimah, Financial Secretary of UCAP; Mr Christian Kpesese, Organising Secretary of CAMP-G; Dr Anthony Bonnah-Koomson, a Communication lecturer; Rev. Fr. Rex Vegbey, an audio-visual expert; Fr Dieu Donné Davor, Executive Secretary of the Department of Social Communications of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference and Mr Peter Martey Agbeko, a member of the Governing Council of the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) in Ghana and Chairman of its International Relations Committee.

Sir Ben Assorow, a distinguished media expert, has previously served as President of UNDA-Africa (now SIGNIS-Africa), a member of the World Board of SIGNIS, and Director of Communications for the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). He also held the position of Executive Secretary of the Department of Social Communications of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

UCAP looks forward to a successful Congress in Accra, Ghana, in August 2025, as it continues its mission to promote ethical journalism, uphold human values, and address the challenges of emerging technologies in Africa and beyond.

Call for Sponsorship and Support

The organisers are actively inviting companies, organisations, and individuals to support this significant event through sponsorship and donations. An estimated USD 300,000 is required to ensure the success of the Congress. Sponsorship requests have already been sent out, with more to follow. We urge all potential partners to contribute generously to make this programme a success and to further promote Brand Ghana to the world.

Post-Congress Action Plan and Monitoring

To ensure the effective implementation of resolutions from the Congress, monitoring mechanisms will be put in place, including tracking media reports and activities undertaken by members in their respective countries. Member countries will also be encouraged to organise refresher programmes on the impact of AI and other technological innovations on their economies and societies.

About UCAP

UCAP is a continental organisation dedicated to promoting communication within the Catholic Church and its partners in Africa. With a mission to foster spiritual growth, collaboration, and responsible journalism, UCAP works to spread the Gospel, uphold human values, and support developmental initiatives across Africa and beyond.

UCAP is an independent, autonomous, non-political, and non-profit organisation comprising African Catholic journalists, communicators, academics, researchers, and institutions in various media fields. Its core objectives include:

• Promoting Catholic professionalism, ethics, and the right to information and freedom of expression
• Advocating for Christian values such as peace, justice, unity, probity, and reconciliation
• Providing training and re-training opportunities for UCAP members and other media practitioners
• Fostering professional networking, collaboration, and exchange of information and experiences
• Organising conferences, workshops, and refresher programmes to stimulate dialogue on contemporary media issues

 

Contact Information
For further information, sponsorship opportunities, or media inquiries, please contact:

 

President of UCAP Ghana (CAMP-G)
Stephen Patrick Asante
Email: stevej53gh@yahoo.com

Phone: +233 26 717 1763

 

Mrs. Victoria Lugey

Email: victorialugey@gmail.com

Phone: +233 26 237 6024

 

Issued by:
The Catholic Association of Media Practitioners-Ghana (CAMP-G)
Date: March 2025

 

President, CAMP-G                                                                           President, UCAP Africa

Stephen Patrick Asante                                                                       Charles Ayetan

+233 267 171 763                                                                               +228 99 802 198

 

 

African Catholic Journalists at the 2018 Congress in Cape Town, South Africa.