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UNGA: Leo Stan Ekeh @ Media Dialogue, Seeks Mega Media Platforms for Africa

Dr Leo Stan Ekeh, chairman, Zinox Group, a tech company, has stressed the importance of media representation for people of African descent and the need for Africa to build its mega media platforms.

Ekeh was one of the panelists at a dialogue on the Media of the Future, convened in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations Summit of the Future held during the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79) High-level Week.
The dialogue had the theme: “The Media of the Future: Bridging the Gap Between the West and People of African Descent.”
The dialogue was convened by Mr. Simon Ibe, publisher/editor-in-chief, Global Patriot Newspapers.
UNGA 79 opened on September 10 while the High-Level Week began on Friday, September. 20, and will run through September 27.
Ekeh joined participants to discuss the challenges faced by Africans in having their stories accurately represented internationally, and stressed the need for them to take control of their narratives and destinies.
In his presentation, Ekeh spoke of his contributions to the transition from analogue to digital media in West Africa and emphasised the importance of knowledge and content in the media industry.
He highlighted lack of awareness about the innovative and creative abilities of black people and stressed the need for Africa to become part of the global community through greater access to the global media.
The Zinox boss shared his experiences in building a tech group and digital retail business and how insufficient access to global media exposure was a major issue, and encouraged the African media practitioners to find financial resources to develop their own mega media platforms, driven by technology.
Other participants also advised Africans to prioritise skills for sustaining economies, attracting investment, and creating wealth, and to leverage technology and leadership in the African economy to change media coverage and ensure adequate representation of Africa’s positive aspects.
Also, Yul Anderson, president, African American Future Society (TAAFS), spoke on the need for coordinated messaging by African media outlets to combat disinformation and promote positive stories about People of African Descent.
He spoke extensively about the Black Futures Summit, held on the sidelines of the United Nations Summit of the Future.
Laolu Akande, editor-in-chief, Empowered Newswire, conveyed a message from the former Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) expressing support for the team’s efforts.
Osinbajo commended the convener of the dialogue, Mr. Ibe for creating the platform for the discussion and expressed the hope that the outcome of theevent will positively impact the Media of People of African Descent.
In his presentation as a panelist, Mr. Akande spoke of the significant gaps in understanding and representation of Africa globally, emphasising the need for a more nuanced and empathetic approach to understanding Africa and its people.
He identified four gaps hindering Nigeria’s development.
These include the gap between the elite and the masses; the gap between the elite and the media; the gap between the elite and the people; and the failure of political leadership to deliver national development.
Akande, stressed the importance of the African elite taking responsibility for the continent’s fate, human capital and infrastructure development.
He pointed to the need for media leaders to invest properly in journalism and for African billionaires to fund media outlets to shape the narratives about the continent.
Ms Nicky Spencer-Coker, spokesperson for the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the United Nations in New York, shared her background as a lawyer and activist.
In speaking, she discussed the significant role of the media in shaping society and narratives, emphasising the challenges faced by people of African descent in gaining access to global media outlets and having their stories accurately represented.
She highlighted the low percentage of black-owned media in the United States and acknowledged the rapid expansion of the media in Africa due to advances in telecommunications.
Spencer-Coker also pointed out the influence of American media on perceptions of Africa, often leading to negative and stereotypical portrayals.
She stressed the importance of African voices being heard and the need for more African representation in global media and leadership roles.
In her address, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), agreed on the importance of the conversation about media representation and moving the narrative forward.
Abike stressed the need to change the negative narrative about Africa and Nigeria in particular, suggesting that Africans should control their media image and invest more in the continent.
She highlighted the potential of the African diaspora, particularly in America, to contribute significantly to the continent’s development.
Abike also criticised the treatment of Africans by other Africans on the continent and encouraged the team to focus on promoting trade and collaboration among African countries.
She discussed the challenges faced by Nigerians in investing and owning homes in Africa, and mentioned the Diaspora Commission’s programs to facilitate home ownership and investment opportunities.
Dabiri-Erewa emphasised the need for collaboration between Nigerians at home and those living abroad to change the narrative about Africa through initiatives like the upcoming diaspora investment summit being organized by NiDCOM.
Toyin Umesiri, a global influencer and CEO of Nazaru, emphasised the importance of wealth creation and productivity in building economies, rather than focusing solely on poverty alleviation.
She discussed the challenges of promoting business and trade with Africa, particularly in the US, and stressed the need for individuals to take control of their own narratives.
Umesiri also highlighted her background in education and experience in training entrepreneurs and working with investors.
She argued against focusing on poverty alleviation and foreign aid, stressing the need to prioritise skills for sustaining economies, attracting investment, and creating wealth.
Also speaking, Prof. Akil Khalfani, director, Africana Institute, Essex County College, Newark, New Jersey, emphasised the need for a rethinking of journalism and media representation, advocating a Pan African approach that utilizes a historical foundation to tell the story of Africa and African people.
Khalfani criticised the Euro-centric approach to education and suggested that African history and culture should be presented with a broader perspective.
Khalfani also highlighted the significance of African organizations and the need for Africa-centered strategies and critiques of other perspectives.
He stressed the importance of Africanizing ways of doing business, global commerce, and thinking about identity.
Mr. Simon Kolawole, founder and editor-in-chief, The Cable Newspapers, in his presentation, made a strong case for the empowerment of media of people of African descent for effective global outreach.
The highly respected columnist stressed that currently, Media of people of African descent were grappling with serious challenges that were constraining their operations and ability to compete at the global level.
Dr. Adeola Popoola, president, Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) New Jersey, proposed a stronger hold on the Guild of Editors to ensure all media houses contribute to a weekly digest of news headlines across the continent.
Ibe, however, thanked everyone for their participation and expressed his gratitude for the insightful discussions, mentioning that there would be a sequel in the future, especially as the issue was so crucial that it could not be sufficiently addressed at one sitting.
Credit: NAN
News
OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Health

OpenAI maker of ChatGPT is rolling out a health-focused feature to the generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool that’s used by nearly a billion users.

Named ChatGPT Health, the new feature aims to provide users with health and wellness information. This, as health is one of the most common ways people use ChatGPT, according to OpenAI.
In a blog post, Microsoft-backed OpenAI says de-identified analysis of conversations show that over 230 million people globally ask health and wellness-related questions on ChatGPT every week.
ChatGPT Health will also “securely” connect medical records and wellness apps to ground conversations with a user’s own health information, making responses more relevant and useful.
“Designed in close collaboration with physicians, ChatGPT Health helps people take a more active role in understanding and managing their health and wellness – while supporting, not replacing, care from clinicians.”
According to OpenAI, health information is often scattered across portals, apps, wearables, PDFs, and medical notes making it hard to see the full picture, and people are left to navigate a complex healthcare system on their own.
“ChatGPT Health builds on these so responses are informed by your health information and context. You can now securely connect medical records and wellness apps – like Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPal – so ChatGPT can help you understand recent test results, prepare for appointments with your doctor, get advice on how to approach your diet and workout routine, or understand the trade-offs of different insurance options based on your healthcare patterns.”
According to the company, ChatGPT Health is designed to support, not replace, medical care, adding that it is not intended for diagnosis or treatment. “Instead, it helps you navigate everyday questions and understand patterns over time – not just moments of illness – so you can feel more informed and prepared for important medical conversations.
“To keep your health information protected and secure, Health operates as a separate space with enhanced privacy to protect sensitive data. Conversations in Health are not used to train our foundation models. If you start a health-related conversation in ChatGPT, we’ll suggest moving into Health for these additional protections.”
OpenAI adds that access to ChatGPT Health has started with a small group of early users to learn and continue refining the experience, adding that users with ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans outside of the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK are eligible.
“As we make improvements, we plan to expand access and make Health available to all users on web and iOS in the coming weeks.
“Medical record integrations and some apps are available in the US only, and connecting Apple Health requires iOS.”
News
Kaspersky Shares AI Cybersecurity Predictions for 2026

Kaspersky experts outline how the rapid development of AI is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape in 2026, both for individual users and for businesses. Large language models (LLMs) are influencing defensive capabilities while simultaneously expanding opportunities for threat actors.

Deepfakes are becoming a mainstream technology, and awareness will continue to grow. Companies are increasingly discussing the risks of synthetic content and training employees to reduce the likelihood of falling victim to it. As the volume of deepfakes grows, so does the range of formats in which they appear.
At the same time, awareness is rising not only within organisations but also among regular users: end consumers encounter fake content more often and better understand the nature of such threats. As a result, deepfakes are becoming a stable element of the security agenda, requiring a systematic approach to training and internal policies.
Deepfake quality will improve through better audio and a lowering barrier to entry. The visual quality of deepfakes is already high, while realistic audio remains the main area for future growth.
At the same time, content generation tools are becoming easier to use: even non-experts can now create a mid-quality deepfake in just a few clicks. As a result, the average quality continues to rise, creation becomes accessible to a far broader audience, and these capabilities will inevitably continue to be leveraged by cybercriminals.
Online deepfakes will continue to evolve but remain tools for advanced users. Real-time face and voice swapping technologies are improving, but their setup still requires more advanced technical skills. Wide adoption is unlikely, yet the risks in targeted scenarios will grow: increasing realism and the ability to manipulate video through virtual cameras make such attacks more convincing.
Efforts to develop a reliable system for labelling AI-generated content will continue. There are still no unified criteria for reliably identifying synthetic content, and current labels are easy to bypass or remove, especially when working with open-source models. For this reason, new technical and regulatory initiatives aimed at addressing the problem are likely to emerge.
Open-weight models will approach top closed models in many cybersecurity-related tasks, which create more opportunities for misuse. Closed models still offer stricter control mechanisms and safeguards, limiting abuse.
However, open-source systems are rapidly catching up in functionality and circulate without comparable restrictions. This blurs the difference between proprietary models and open-source models both of which can be used efficiently for undesired or malicious purposes.
The line between legitimate and fraudulent AI-generated content will become increasingly blurred. AI can already produce well-crafted scam emails, convincing visual identities, and high-quality phishing pages.
At the same time, major brands are adopting synthetic materials in advertising, making AI-generated content look familiar and visually “normal.” As a result, distinguishing real from fake will become even more challenging, both for users and for automated detection systems.
AI will become a cross-chain tool in cyberattacks and be used across most stages of the kill chain. Threat actors already employ LLMs to write code, build infrastructure, and automate operational tasks.
Further advances will reinforce this trend: AI will increasingly support multiple stages of an attack, from preparation and communication to assembling malicious components, probing for vulnerabilities and deploying tools. Attackers will also work to hide signs of AI involvement, making such operations harder to analyse.
“While AI tools are being used in cyberattacks, they are also becoming a more common tool in security analysis and influence how SOC teams work. Agent-based systems will be able to continuously scan infrastructure, identify vulnerabilities, and gather contextual information for investigations, reducing the amount of manual routine work.
“As a result, specialists will shift from manually searching for data to making decisions based on already-prepared context. In parallel, security tools will transition to natural-language interfaces, enabling prompts instead of complex technical queries,” adds Vladislav Tushkanov, Research Development Group Manager at Kaspersky.
News
Nigerians with Albinism Reject Pity, Demand Dignity at Empowerment Forum

Nigerians living with albinism say their biggest challenge is not skin sensitivity or poor eyesight, but being seen, heard and treated as full human beings, a message that resonated at a recent empowerment session hosted by the Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (CADEF) and Albino Empowerment Foundation.

CADEF
The event last Saturday focused on lived experiences, self-advocacy and rights awareness rather than handouts, though participants received food, protective clothing and skin/eye care materials.
CADEF Executive Director, Prof. Chiso Ndukwe-Okafor, said real progress requires respect and inclusion, not pity, adding that knowledge of human rights equips people to demand fairness.
“Dignity begins when people are seen fully and treated equally,” she said.
Ifeoma Ngesina, founder of Albino Empowerment Foundation, defined inclusion as equal rights and participation in decisions affecting their lives, not stereotypes.
“When persons with albinism are included in schools, workplaces, leadership and media, harmful myths fade,” she said, stressing it builds confidence and leadership.
CADEF Advisory Board Member, Ms Kobi Ikpo, urged participants to own their narrative: “If you do not tell people how to treat you, they will not know how to address you. Once you accept yourself as a complete human being deserving of respect, it reflects in how you carry yourself — and that confidence commands respect.”
Afolake Odudinu highlighted parental ignorance leading to school dropouts, skin damage from sun exposure and social/marital stigma, noting skin cancer treatment remains inaccessible for many.
Efosa Peter, a father and associate pastor, rejected pity for genuine empowerment: “I hate pity. I don’t want to be pitied — I want empowerment.” He described persons with albinism as creatively gifted and warned against insincere initiatives.
“Empowerment must include self-esteem and self-motivation. When you see yourself as whole, others will follow,” he said.
Teacher Rose Adudu shared overcoming school bullying through discipline and advocacy, helping enrol a young albino girl in school despite later parental withdrawal.
“Your character will speak for you,” she said.
Participants were encouraged to use content creation for education and myth-busting, with CADEF planning annual events and advancing Digital Financial Inclusion Rights for Persons With Disabilities.
The forum underscored a core demand: opportunity, understanding and respect over sympathy.
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