Nigerian journalist and Christian media advocate, Lekan Otufodunrin, has emerged President of the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) Africa Region following the election of a new executive board at the organisation’s General Assembly held on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.
Otufodunrin, President of Journalists for Christ International Outreach and Executive Director of the Media Career Development Agency (MCDA), will lead the regional body for a four-year term.
Senegalese media advocate Amie Joof-Cole of the Inter Africa Network for Women, Media, Gender and Development (FAMEDEV) was elected Vice President, while Nigerian journalist Blessing Oladunjoye of the BO Foundation for Inclusive Media emerged Secretary.
Other members of the new executive include Mwendwa Kivuva, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet), who was elected Treasurer; George Stewart, a media development specialist from Liberia, and Nigerian journalist Opeyemi Lawal were elected alternate executive members.
As part of their new responsibilities, Otufodunrin and Joof-Cole will also serve on the board of WACC’s global body in the United Kingdom.
In his acceptance remarks, Otufodunrin pledged that the new executive would advance WACC’s priorities, particularly digital justice, gender justice and climate justice, while strengthening communication rights and inclusive media development across the continent.
The leadership transition comes at a time when digital rights, equitable access to information and the protection of vulnerable communities are increasingly important to Africa’s media landscape.
At the opening ceremony of the assembly, the Convener of the West Africa Digital Rights Defenders Coalition, Kehinde Adegboyega, delivered a keynote address on Ensuring Digital Justice in Africa, calling for universal access, rights safeguards and data sovereignty.
Adegboyega identified capacity building, policy advocacy, coalition building and community action as essential components of a regional roadmap for digital justice.
“No digital future is just until it is inclusive, free and grounded in dignity for all Africans,” he stated.
His remarks underscored the need for African countries and media organisations to ensure that digital technologies serve the public interest, protect citizens’ rights and do not deepen existing inequalities.
Otufodunrin is an award-winning Nigerian journalist with nearly four decades of professional experience. Through his work in journalism, media leadership and professional development, he has contributed to efforts to strengthen journalism practice and build the capacity of media professionals.
WACC is an international organisation rooted in Christian faith that promotes communication as a fundamental human right essential to human dignity, community and social justice. It works with people and communities whose access to communication is restricted because of their status, identity or gender.
The organisation advocates equitable access to information and communication, supports open and diverse media, and strengthens networks of communicators working to advance peace, understanding and justice worldwide.
With its membership organised across eight regional associations, WACC provides a platform for Christian communicators and other media professionals to promote inclusive communication and defend the rights of marginalised voices.
The new Africa Region executive is expected to build on these commitments through programmes that address the continent’s evolving communication challenges, strengthen media inclusion and promote justice in the digital age.
