'Seeking solutions,' Mongabay's new Africa bureau reports the big issues and conservation wins

Last year, Mongabay launched a brand-new bureau dedicated to covering the African continent daily in French and English. The team is led by veteran Cameroonian journalist David Akana, who chats with co-host Mike DiGirolamo about the importance of covering the African continent and why news that happens there is of keen interest to audiences worldwide.

Akana details his team's coverage priorities, including solutions-oriented stories, which he says are vital to delivering a fair picture of the continent.

"The bottom line here is that whatever happens – whether it's in the business of forests [or] biodiversity or climate change in the Congo Basin [it] has linkages to anywhere else in the world," he says.

View all of Mongabay Africa’s coverage at its website, here.

Read a related Q&A with David Akana here.

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Image: David Akana giving an interview at COP 28 in Dubai, UAE. Image courtesy of David Akana.

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Timecodes

(00:00:00) Introduction

(00:02:18) David's Journey to Mongabay

(00:06:28) Focus Areas of Mongabay Africa

(00:10:46) Challenges in African Media Coverage

(00:12:09) A Multilingual Reporting Strategy

(00:15:27) Engaging With African Audiences

(00:18:46) Making An Impact in the Congo Basin

(00:22:40) Importance of Congo Basin Coverage

(00:26:16) Future Vision for Mongabay Africa

(00:29:40) Why Everyone Should Be Reading African News

(00:33:23) David's Favorite Spot In Nature