Africa-Press – Uganda. Dr Emily Comfort Maractho has announced her plans for the media industry following her appointment as the board chairperson of the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME).
Dr Maractho’s appointment took effect on May 4 on a three-year renewable contract, with part of her responsibilities revolving around overseeing the direction of the organisation, including implementing strategies, policies, and development plans.
“The appointment is exciting in a way…it is a great honour to be endorsed to serve this role at ACME,” she said.
She succeeded Ms Susan Nsibirwa who is serving as the managing director of Nation Media Group (NMG)-Uganda.
Established in 2009, ACME is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting excellence in journalism in Africa. including recognising exceptional journalists in its annual Uganda National Journalism Awards (UNJA).
Dr Maractho who has a PhD in Cultural and Media Studies from the University of KwaZulu Natal South Africa (graduated in 2017) and has been an ACME board member since 2021, said the plan is to see that the organisation’s current laid-out strategic plans are effectively implemented.
“I come at a time when the organisation is evaluating its strategic plans, so, my role is to see that these are effectively implemented and we achieve our goals, including expanding our footprint on the continent by doing more work just beyond Uganda and the East African region,” Dr Maractho said.
ACME already does work in areas of media training, research, resource mobilisation, and capacity building, activities she said she will continuously champion amid a lot of upheavals continuing to shake the journalism industry. These include low-copy sales for print media as well as operating amid the ever-changing digital transformation trends.
With a strong background in development having majored in Masters in Development Studies from Uganda Martyrs University, in Nkozi, and graduated in 2007, Dr Maractho wants ACME to deepen in the development field too.
She also hopes to strengthen ACME’s networks by getting more funders on board and grants, collaborating with more media networks across the continent, and producing as much knowledge and research material in crucial areas of climate change, environment, and gender.
A woman of many hats
Dr Maractho’s current appointment is an addition to many other responsibilities she has up her sleeve. She is an academic, policy analyst, and researcher. While she is an associate professor and lecturer at Uganda Christian University (UCU), she is also a non-executive director on the Publications Ltd (MPL) board.
“I was lucky that I grew up very focused. It is knowing what needs to be done. But it is also sometimes about asking for help,” she said.
“For example, if I win a research grant, a lot of people want to do the work by themselves. I don’t. Rather, I see it as an opportunity to recruit and delegate other people. So, I will hire a research assistant to keep them around to do the things that I do not need to spend my time on and in the process, I am empowering and mentoring an individual,” she added.
Over the next few years, Dr Maractho hopes that more women become interested in current affairs conversations as well as issues of governance and policy lest the next generation suffers.
Selection criteria
A chairperson is selected by ACME board members, who are currently seven. Dr Maractho has been a board member since 2021.
Part of the process of getting selected as a board member includes the Human Resource and Governance Committee scrutinising resumes before they are forwarded to subscribers who then vote for the member. The subscribers look for unique aspects of the individual’s academic and work journey.
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