ZEJN extols ZDM’s Nkombo Kachemba

By Ashton Kelly Bunda
Zambian Developmental Media Alliance (ZADEMA), Zambian Children Young People and Women in Development (ZCYPWD), Journalists Against Piracy in Zambia – JAPIZ Executive President and Zambia Environmental Journalists Network (ZEJN) founding Committee Member Comrade (Cde.) Derrick Sinjela congratulates Zambia Daily Mail (ZDM) journalist Cde. Nkombo Kachemba for making Zambia proud,” during the Sixth Edition of the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) Media Initiative, popularly known as (AFROMEDI VI) in Nairobi, Kenya, panel discussion on Africa’s critical minerals and the role these resources can play in addressing Africa’s debt challenges, from Wednesday, 27th – Friday 29th, May 2026.

Themed: “Partnering with Media to Advance Socio-Economic Justice and Africa’s Common Position on Debt,” in partnership with Transparency International Kenya and the Stop the Bleeding Campaign, the three-day forum brought together 45 journalists from 39 African countries to strengthen reporting on sovereign debt, fiscal justice, and economic governance across the continent.

Key Topics & Objectives Africa’s Debt Landscape: Discussions centered on the AU Common Position on Debt, the Lomé Declaration, and the need for a unified African voice in global debt reform negotiations.

Resource-Backed Loans: Journalists explored the risks of resource-backed loans, the influence of private creditors, and the urgent need for transparency in agreements tied to critical minerals (like lithium, cobalt, and copper).Capacity Building: The training aimed to bridge the gap between complex macroeconomic policies and everyday citizens. It equipped media practitioners to interrogate illicit financial flows, structural inequalities, and the impacts of austerity on development.

Launched in 2021, the AFROMEDI programme has trained more than 600 journalists across 37 African countries.

The initiative aims to build a robust network of reporters committed to investigative, people-centered storytelling that holds governments and financial institutions accountable.
In his opening remarks, AFRODAD Interim Executive Director Dr. Theophilus Yungong described the media as one of the continent’s most powerful tools for accountability, especially as African nations navigate rising debt distress, fiscal pressures, and widening development gaps.

Gibson Mwaita, Head of Programmes at Transparency International Kenya, reinforced this message by highlighting the link between corruption, weak accountability, and the continent’s economic challenges.

The AFROMEDI initiative enhances media capacity to report on sovereign debt management, fiscal justice, and the global financial architecture.

By championing people-centered storytelling, the program bridges the gap between complex macroeconomic policies and everyday realities.

The initiative’s framework is deeply rooted in the African Borrowing Charter, the Lomé Declaration’s Common African Position on Debt, and the long-term goals of the African Unions (AU’s) Agenda 2063. – Branding Zambia 2014 KNZ Television