TEDGlobal 2007: Session 11: Salim Amin

The final session of TED: Leadership and Truth opened with a short film with photos from the famine in Ethiopia. He opens with “My name is Salim Amin and I am an African.” The images from the film saved the lives of 3 million people. Images taken by his father, Mohammed Amin. A24 media project, a 24-hour news channel, is covered by Africans for Africans. The short film was an extract from a documentary, “Mo and Me”, about rediscovering his father’s work. The photos that his father took are still what people think 20 years on. Children with flies in their eyes and malnutrition.

We have 900 million people on this continent, yet we don’t have our news channel and rely on foreign companies. CNBC is business-focused and foreign-owned. SABC is largely South African-focused, compromised. Most news usually comes from other sources and focuses on the negative issues. Rely on 46 low-cost, regional. It will be offered free-to-air to all terrestrial broadcasters, mainly because we never get paid.

Private Equity has been set up in Mauritius for the new media company. And no shareholder will ever own more than 25% of the company to remain independent. We need to empower Africans around the world with knowledge. Great good governance, democracy and holding people in leadership positions accountable are the primary drivers of this bringing this A24 news channel together.

For more on Salim Amin, please visit the Mohammed Amin Foundation.