comm-UNITY! | Season 14 | Episode 5 | The Media Challenge
In this episode of Gathering of Givers, host Jacqueline Asiimwe sits down with Abaas Mpindi Apuuli, a visionary media entrepreneur redefining Africa’s media landscape through innovation and empowerment. Abaas reflects on the early lessons in generosity he learned from his grandmother, a woman known in her community for her warmth, hospitality, and insistence on basic courtesy. These early values of giving, sharing, and serving others laid the foundation for a life committed to lifting others as he climbs.
A defining moment in Abaas’ journey came when the late legendary journalist Bbale Francis entrusted him with his fifty-year-old media brand. Fresh out of college, Abaas took that act of trust and transformed it into the Media Challenge Initiative (MCI), an organization that has since become a catalyst for change in Uganda’s media space.
Now celebrating a decade of impact, MCI equips young journalists with the skills, leadership, and social consciousness needed to drive meaningful storytelling. Since 2017, it has trained over 3,000 journalism students, launched more than 10 youth-led media startups, and supported 130 fellows in solutions-based journalism. With programs like the Mobile Newsroom, offering hands-on training across 17 Ugandan universities, and the Media Hub, a collaborative space for media innovation, MCI is nurturing a new generation of storytellers committed to truth, impact, and change.
With a strong focus on underserved regions and emerging podcasters, MCI envisions the creation of the First Youth Newsroom, content created by and for the youth. But for Abaas, this work goes beyond building skills; it’s about transforming the very narrative of Africa. He is determined to challenge negative stereotypes and promote stories that celebrate growth, acknowledge complexity, and spark collective responsibility.
Generosity sits at the heart of Abaas’ mission, not just the generosity of resources, but the deeper kind: sharing space, time, privilege, knowledge, and opportunity. Through MCI, he practices a leadership model grounded in abundance and access, ensuring others are empowered to step into their purpose and tell their stories on their own terms.
Abaas’ journey is a testament to what generosity can look like when it’s woven into vision and practice, a reminder that true giving is about opening doors for others and holding them open long enough for transformation to take root.
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