Chevening Africa Media Freedom Fellowship (CAMFF)

The Chevening Africa Media Freedom Fellowship (CAMFF) is aimed at mid-senior level African professionals with demonstrable leadership skills in their fields, which may include public servants working in areas of media policy and regulatory frameworks, or media professionals such as journalists.  Selected fellows will be from the following Sub-Sahara African countries: Ethiopia, Burundi, Cameroon, Gambia, Malawi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

The fellowship is hosted by the University of Westminster.

This fellowship is funded by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

Course/programme structure

Fellows will undertake a bespoke 8-week fellowship programme titled ‘New Media for a New Africa: Freedom of Speech, Economic Prosperity and Good Governance’.  The programme will combine professional development of the values of good journalism (curiosity, rigour, challenge, storytelling, research, doing no harm, and freedom of speech) with an understanding of new opportunities to make reporting more effective and to use new ways to enhance its reach and impact.

This programme will bring together 12 leading media and information practitioners and regulators from 11 countries. The course is designed to promote vigorous exchange of ideas and experience, and constructive learning, between participants and course leaders, with both seminars and speaker talks, off-site visits and fieldwork. Fellows will be challenged to discuss evidence-based context for key policy debates, understand international positions (including appreciation of UK approaches), supply practical experience, and encourage dialogue on key issues.

Participants will be expected to participate in individual and group coursework projects, take an active role in their professional and career development, and engage actively throughout the programme and as part of the network.

The curriculum focuses on the ways in which the media are held responsible, and the wider context within which political institutions operate. The ethics of reporting are at the heart of all debates.

Fellows will participate in six intensive weeks of lectures, visits, and discussions that introduce them to key UK academics, media, and political figures in the field, followed by two weeks of fieldwork research and professional practice. This will culminate in an interactive day of news events focused on Africa and the UK.

This fellowship programme will commence in May 2020.

Benefits

Each fellowship includes:

• Full programme fees
• Living expenses for the duration of the fellowship
• Return economy airfare from your country of residence to the UK

Eligibility 

To be eligible for a Chevening Africa Media Freedom Fellowship (CAMFF), you must:

• Be a citizen of Ethiopia, Burundi, Cameroon, Gambia, Malawi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
• Return to your country of citizenship at the end of the period of the fellowship
• Have a postgraduate level qualification (or equivalent professional training or experience in a relevant area) at the time of application
• Have at least seven years’ work experience prior to applying
• Be a mid-senior level African professionals with demonstrable leadership skills in fields which may include public servants working in areas of media policy and regulatory frameworks, or media professionals such as journalists
• Be fluent in written and spoken English
• Not hold British or dual-British citizenship
• Agree to adhere to all relevant guidelines and expectations of the fellowship