Forbes Africa Executive Urges Africans to Own Media and Control Their Stories

Forbes Africa Executive Urges Africans to Own Media and Control Their Stories

Media and advertising executive Sikona Cibini has called on Africans to invest in media ownership, arguing that control of storytelling platforms is essential to shaping global perceptions of the continent.

Cibini made the appeal on Monday in Lagos during The Leverage Room, a monthly networking event that brings together creatives, entrepreneurs, professionals and business executives.

The gathering, themed “Beyond Business: Building Value, Strategic Relationships and Global Influence,” examined how strategic connections and communication could strengthen African businesses and expand their international influence.

Cibini, Head of Partnerships for West Africa at Forbes Africa, explained that media representations influence how Africans view themselves and how international audiences perceive the continent’s people, cultures and business opportunities.

She urged African investors and entrepreneurs to support credible news organisations, documentaries, investigative reporting and digital distribution platforms that could present the continent’s experiences more accurately to global audiences.

According to her, greater African participation in media ownership would give local voices more influence over stories about the continent, rather than leaving outsiders to dominate the conversation.

Cibini also expressed concern about media coverage of xenophobia, warning that the way such incidents are reported could deepen divisions and damage relationships between African countries.

She suggested that African storytelling should also highlight xenophilia, a term describing an appreciation of foreign people and cultures, to encourage mutual understanding and challenge hostility across national borders.

Another speaker, Tsholo Ezeani, a South African married to a Nigerian, cautioned against stereotyping Nigerians and South Africans based on prevailing public perceptions.

Ezeani called for stronger efforts to understand the experiences of different African communities, preserve cultural identities and document histories that future generations could learn from.

She also encouraged Africans to read and share traditional folk tales, stressing that cultural preservation depends partly on people engaging with the stories inherited from earlier generations.

“We don’t tell our stories because we don’t read,” she said, highlighting the connection between reading, cultural knowledge and the ability to communicate African experiences effectively.

Earlier, The Leverage Room convener, Uche Chinonso, said the initiative was established to connect people with valuable networks and expose participants to practical lessons from other professionals and entrepreneurs.

Chinonso, who also founded E Travels and Tours, explained that the platform enables participants to exchange experiences, develop business relationships and find useful contacts for addressing professional and commercial challenges.

He added that meaningful networking requires participants to contribute value to others instead of approaching relationships solely as opportunities to receive assistance.

Discussions at the event also explored how businesses could balance commercial priorities with corporate social responsibility and make communication decisions that support their broader objectives.

Participants emphasised that companies should select media platforms and programmes according to their target audiences, budgets and business goals, rather than spending money on publicity without a clear strategy.