A billion citizens and 800 million sim cards in circulation. With 50% of the population connected to the Internet via the mobile network - also used for payments and money transfers - and the prospect...
Amadou Ba
Amadou Mahtar Ba is the Chief Executive of the African Media Initiative (AMI), an unprecedented pan-African effort aimed at providing the continent’s media owners and practitioners with the tools they need to play an effective role in their societies. AMI aims to strengthen the media sector in Africa to ensure the accountability of governments and other institutions and to promote democratic governance, human development as well as economic growth and transformation.
Mr. Ba is also a co-founder and Chairman of AllAfrica Global Media, Inc – owner and operator of allafrica.com - an international multi-media content service provider, systems technology developer and the largest distributor of African news and information worldwide. Prior to starting AllAfrica, Mr. Ba served from 1996 to 2000 as Director of Communications and Marketing for BICIS Bank, a subsidiary of the French banking group BNP Paribas. From 1993 to 1996, Mr. Ba helped lead the successful restructuring and privatization of the Panafrican News Agency (PANA).
He sits on several boards and participates in a number of working groups including the World Economic Forum's Global Council for the Future of Media, the Africa Democratic Institute, the Africa Policy Advisory Board of ONE, the African Digital Advisory Board of SANOFI and serves as a member of the Panel of Judges for the CNN African Journalist Award.
In 2008, he convened the African Media Leaders Forum (AMLF) for the first time thanks to support from the World Bank Group, the Coca Cola Company and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. AMLF has become the largest gathering of African media owners and operators.
For three years in a row, the New African Magazine has selected Mr. Ba as one of the 100 most influential Africans in 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively. In 2014, Forbes listed him among "the top 10 most powerful men in Africa". He is also listed in the top 500 Africans contributing to the rise of the continent by the Africa24 Magazine published in March, 2011. In 2012, EXPO 2015 and Afronline awarded him the African Media Prize acknowledging his "outstanding contribution to African Media and his skills on promoting innovation among African Media".
Mr. Ba was educated in Senegal, France and Spain and is fluent in French, English, Spanish, Fulani and Wolof. He holds a Masters degree from the Ecole Française des Professionnels de la Communication in Paris and a Bachelors Degree in Foreign languages and International relations from the Paris 7 University (Jussieu).