Radio Africa to partner with Technical University of Mombasa

Radio Africa Group, one of Kenya’s fastest growing dynamic media company, is in advanced discussion to partner with Technical University of Mombasa.

In a deal, which is yet to be formalised, Radio Africa Group will be working with TUM to offer attachment opportunities to its communication and media studies students.

Radio Africa, which boasts of seven national radio stations, among them Kiss 100, Classic 105 and Radio Jambo, and national newspaper — the Star, will also offer mentorship programme to TUM students.

The partnership deal was discussed during a meeting between Radio Africa Group’s Chief Operations Officer Agness Kalekye, Group Head of Content Paul Ilado and TUM vice chancellor Prof Laila Abubakar. The team from Radio Africa Group had paid a courtesy call to Abubakar at her office on Friday.

“We want to look for ways that we can partner together. One, we can be offering attachment opportunities to TUM communication students,” Ilado said. 

Radio Africa Group would also seek to partner with TUM on events.

 “We can also have events whereby our presenters and journalists can be coming on board to either offer mentorship programmes or be guest lecturers,” he said.

At the same time, TUM will be given an opportunity to showcase some of their innovations, research papers and tell their success stories on all Radio Africa Group’s platforms.

“Our website, the Star newspaper, has 5.2 million unique visitors every month. It is a massive platform, whereby we can always tell your story,” Ilado said.

Kalekye said the deals will be actualised through a structured Memorandum of Understanding.

“What we have discussed today, we can formalise it through a Memorandum of Understanding. We are always ready to work with you,” she said.

Prof Abubakar, who is among a 49-member team that was gazetted by President William Ruto to interrogate Competency-Based Curriculum, said they would be glad to partner with Radio Africa Group.

“This interaction is a good starting point. We will be happy to have some of your renowned media personalities come to mentor our students and also the attachment opportunities will be a platform for our students to learn,” she said.

Abubakar was TUM deputy VC from 2013 to 2016, acting VC from 2016 to 2018 and substantive VC from 2018 to date.

TUM, which has more than 10,000 students, in its Mombasa campus, is the only public university with its main campus in the region.

The institution, which offers courses around Blue Economy, engineering, media studies, applied sciences and many others, has a total of more than 17,000 students in its three campuses of Mombasa, Kwale and Lamu.