By Daniel Omondi
On Wednesday, January 21, USIU-Africa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Radio Africa Group. The partnership seeks to facilitate and enhance collaborative activities between the two institutions in the areas of internship opportunities, industry partnership content collaboration, podcast and media production initiatives, executive coaching and professional development, facility and studio collaboration, data journalism and AI Integration, stakeholder forum on creative art and media education. Beyond internships, the MoU outlines content collaboration across print, digital, and podcasting platforms. USIU-Africa students will submit articles, podcasts, and digital projects for possible publication under Radio Africa’s editorial standards. The two institutions will also co-produce a podcast competition dubbed “PodHack” (also referred to as PODCATHON), jointly own intellectual property rights for student content, and explore commercialization opportunities for standout productions.
In his remarks, Dr. Amata said this collaboration is an example of what can happen when academia and industry come together for a common good. “At USIU-Africa, we place immense value with industry because they keep us honest, relevant and forward looking, they help ensure that what we teach in our classrooms resonate with what is needed in boardrooms, in studios, newsrooms and beyond,” said Dr. Amata adding that the “one of our key strategic pillars is to forge meaningful partnerships that enhance teaching and learning in the modern age.”
Speaking during the signing ceremony Mr. Martin Khafafa said that he was excited about this partnership which represents the impact both institutions hope to achieve and continue to build credibility in the industry. “We are happy to partner with the youth to drive technological advancement through AI,” said Mr. Khafafa who is an alumnus of USIU-Africa, MBA class of 2004. “The students have learnt the theory of media and now it is time to transition them into the real world of the newsroom,” he added.
The partnership will be implemented by the School of Communication, Cinematic and Creative Arts and its success will be assessed based on tangible outcomes such as the number of students taken for internships, collaborative research outputs, and innovative joint initiatives.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Prof. Amos Njuguna, Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics-Transformative Teaching, Learning and Research, Dr. Geoffrey Sikolia, Dean, School of Communication, Cinematic and Creative Arts, Director, Legal Services, Helen Ambasa, Robi Koki, the Chair of Media and Communication Department, and Radio Africa Group Editorial Director Paul Ilado.
Additional reporting by the Star.
