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Media sustainability in the Global South: GIBS partners with Daily Maverick to launch Executive Programme in Media Leadership

17 Apr 2025

The global media landscape is grappling with a deepening crisis as traditional media business models struggle to keep up with digital innovation. But those situated in the Global South face compounded challenges, including market failures, infrastructure deficits and fragile democracies — making it increasingly difficult for media outlets to remain independent. In response to these challenges, the Gordon Institute of Business Science partnered with Daily Maverick to launch its inaugural Executive Programme in Media Leadership: Strengthening Media Leaders in Africa on 15 April 2025.

“Media sustainability is not just an industry concern, it’s actually an imperative,” said Michael Markovitz, head of the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) Media Leadership Think Tank during the virtual launch of the Executive Programme in Media Leadership on 15 April 2025.

Markovitz, who was joined by Daily Maverick CEO Styli Charalambous, underscored the democratic urgency of an initiative such as this one to prevent the collapse of public interest journalism.

The first of its kind

“We’re investing in leadership and professional development, addressing the sustainability of public interest journalism and building strategic influence,” Charalambous explained.

The four-month programme, designed to equip participants with crucial leadership skills necessary to transform and sustain their media organisations, stems from a mutual origin of the lack of accessible leadership development opportunities tailored to the unique realities and economic pressures faced by African media.

“We’ve recognised this challenge that at the heart of the crisis, journalism is a public good, but it’s wrapped inside a business motive,” said Charalambous. “That brings some complexity and challenges that are very specific to the industry.”

The course marks an intervention in the African media landscape to invest in training media leaders on the ground. While policy-focused efforts by the GIBS Think Tank have been instrumental in advocating for fairer media ecosystems, Markovitz emphasised the need for immediate action.

“We need to do something urgent, a practical immediate intervention that helps emerging media,” he said, stressing that the lived realities of operating in a low resource, high pressure and often very politically sensitive environment, such as those operating across the continent, were beyond the scope of theoretical frameworks or case studies from the Global North.

Watch: The Virtual Launch of the GIBS Executive Programme in Media Leadership: Strengthening Media Leaders in Africa

Attendee highlights

The launch drew 300 attendees, highlighting a strong interest in the discussion around media sustainability on the continent.

Those engaged within the discussion, from journalists, to media leaders and even those looking to head their own publications, indicated that the course would be instrumental in shaping their outlook towards strategically addressing the market failure of journalism in its current form.

“Well done! This strikes me as a critical contribution to strengthening media business leadership at a time it’s most needed in the sector. I wish you every success,” said attendee Michael Moss.

“A much-needed course,” said attendee Shirley Govender.

“Thank you for this,” said Magubevu Dawid Shoba.

“Congratulations, well done! May journalism continue to be the first draft of history, as well as the commitment of all the media industry professionals today,” said attendee Jean Robertson.

Read more: Inaugural launch of Executive Programme in Media Leadership to tackle SA media’s pressing challenges

Journalism as a public good

“I have experienced first hand the potential for a programme like this and what it can do not just for the individual who participates, but for the organisation,” said Charalambous.“We hope that this will be the first of a long run for this course at GIBS.”

What to expect of the course

“Be prepared to put in some hours,” said Charalambous. “It will be intense, but that was the thinking behind keeping it condensed into a four-month period.”

Key course benefits:

Enhance sustainability leadership skills.

Develop valuable social capital.

Foster personal growth and diverse perspectives.

Build leadership expertise.

Programme outlook:

Block 1 (July): Innovation & Business Model Disruption

Block 2 (August): Commercial Acumen

Block 3 (September): Sustainable Leadership

Block 4 (October): AI & Data Driven Digital Landscape

Full cost: R140,000, which includes tuition, instruction material, lunches and refreshments, and accommodation for six nights.

Limited tuition assistance is available for the course through partial scholarship funding. Interested individuals can apply via their admission application to the programme on the GIBS website. Please indicate in your motivation letter if you have a need to be considered for this partial scholarship opportunity.

Read the full course breakdown here.

For enquiries call +27 (0)11 771 4000 or email [email protected].

For more information and an online application form, please visit www.gibs.co.za/execmedia

About GIBS

Founded in 2000, the Gordon Institute of Business Science is the business school of the University of Pretoria and is consistently ranked among the top business schools in Africa. Its executive education offerings focus on leadership development across sectors.

About Daily Maverick

Founded in 2009, Daily Maverick is an independent national news and investigative journalism publisher.

Daily Maverick covers pressing issues across politics, business and the environment, providing in-depth reporting and insightful commentary on the topics affecting the lives of South Africans.

With 10 million unique browsers monthly, Daily Maverick is one of South Africa’s largest publishers, and is available online and in a weekly print edition, DM168.

Its voluntary membership community programme is designed to keep journalism free for all and it has a community of civic-minded readers who participate actively through contributions to ensure this access continues for all.

Founders: Branko Brkic and Styli Charalambous, CEO. DM

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