Public interest media are the lifeblood of Africa's economic infrastructure. When trusted information dries up, growth wilts.
Talk of the infrastructure needed to unlock Africa's economic potential tends to focus on roads, ports, energy networks, and trade corridors. Yet markets run on information as surely as they rely on transport and power.
The African Continental Free Trade Area is a $3.4 trillion opportunity. But the information infrastructure underpinning that opportunity is too often overlooked. In many places, it is being actively suppressed.
Neglect Africa's media ecosystem, and the continent's growth agenda will continue to underperform its promise. Understanding this threat has underpinned both our organisations' work on the continent for much of the last decade - and we have seen the transformative impact that increased capital into the sector can have.
Originally published by African Business.