Media Trust Editorial Director Joins GIBS 2026 Executive Media Leadership Cohort

The University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) has announced the 2026 cohort of its Executive Programme in Media Leadership (EPML), with the Group Editorial Director of Media Trust Group Limited, Ibrahim Shehu Adamu, selected among 19 senior media professionals from across Africa.

Adamu is one of two Nigerians chosen for the four-month executive programme, alongside Oluwamayowa Idowu, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Culture Custodian.

According to GIBS, the second edition of the programme brings together media leaders from South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Namibia to strengthen leadership capacity and build a pan-African network capable of addressing the evolving challenges facing the media industry.

The 2026 cohort comprises 10 South Africans, six Kenyans, two Nigerians and one Namibian, representing a broad spectrum of the media ecosystem, including editors-in-chief, publishers, broadcasters, founders of digital media platforms, audience development specialists and executives from media development organisations.

Commenting on the new intake, EPML Programme Director, Michael Markovitz, said the quality and diversity of participants reflected the growing importance of collaborative leadership in African journalism.

“The response to our first cohort told us we had built something the sector genuinely needed. This second group raises the bar again: senior newsroom leadership sitting alongside founders of community papers and digital start-ups from four countries. The problems facing African media will not be solved in silos,” he said.

The programme was co-designed by Markovitz and Daily Maverick CEO and co-founder Styli Charalambous to equip media leaders with practical and strategic skills to navigate challenges such as shrinking newsrooms, market pressures, artificial intelligence and the growing influence of digital platforms.

The 2026 edition is supported through scholarships provided by the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF), under its Amplify Africa programme, and the Google News Initiative.

Chief Program Officer at MDIF, Bilal Randeree, said the organisation remained committed to investing in leadership within independent media.

“MDIF invests in the people who keep independent media alive, and leadership is where that investment compounds. We’re glad to be backing them again this year because courses like EPML build the strategic muscle that African media businesses need to survive and grow,” he said.

Also speaking, Marianne Erasmus, News Partnerships Lead for the Middle East and Africa at Google, said the programme would help participants explore how artificial intelligence can support innovation and strengthen local journalism.

The Executive Programme in Media Leadership runs from July to October 2026. It opens with an in-person session at GIBS in Johannesburg on July 28 and concludes with graduation on October 30.

Participants will undertake modules on AI integration, sustainable media business models, competition law, negotiation, inclusive leadership and a capstone project aimed at addressing real-world challenges facing African media organisations.

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