SIGNIS Africa renews its leadership

SIGNIS Africa, the Catholic association for media practitioners, has ushered in a new board of directors. For the first time since its inception in 2001, women make up the majority of the board. The election took place on the sidelines of the SIGNIS World Congress happening in Kigali, Rwanda, from 03 August to 08 August 2026. Fr Fidele Mutabazi, a Rwandan priest of the Archdiocese of Kigali, was elected new SIGNIS Africa President.

Paul Samasumo – Kigali

Fr Mutabazi, the Managing Director of the Church’s Kinyamateka Newspaper and Director of Communications for the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda, takes over from Nigerian priest and renowned academician, Professor Fr. Walter Chikwendu Ihejirika, who has completed his constitutional two terms. The new and complete SIGNIS Africa board also comprises the Chairperson of the Catholic Media Network Nairobi, Virginia Kabugu, who was elected as the new SIGNIS Africa Vice President.

Others elected to the seven-member board include Fr. Alexis Oudraogo of Burkina Faso. He was elected Secretary/Treasurer. Mozambican religious, Sr. Anastãncia Sebastãio Simbe FMA; Ms Clarice Azuatalam of Nigeria; Mr Kudakwashe Martin Matambo of Zimbabwe, and Miss Mwami Daka of Zambia are the other members.

New SIGNIS Africa Vice President - Virginia Kabugu

Unprecedented and representative

Speaking after his election, Fr Mutabazi thanked the delegates and asked for their continued support. He commended the election as unprecedented and truly representative of the African reality in terms of geography and official languages spoken (English, French and Portuguese). He said he was happy that the Assembly of African delegates had not only given him a majority of women board members, but experts who, over and above their gender, were experienced media professionals and administrators.

Fr Mutabazi, who is the ad hoc chair of the ongoing SIGNIS World Congress Local Organising Committee (LOC), was praised by delegates for the meticulous attention to detail and efficiency displayed by the hosts in Kigali.

First time in Africa

The SIGNIS World Congress in Kigali has brought together over 200 Catholic journalists, media professionals, and communication experts from more than 40 countries across five continents. It is the first-ever SIGNIS World Congress to be hosted in Africa.

SIGNIS officially began as a worldwide association of communicators in November 2001. It was inaugurated in Rome during a joint congress through the merger of two older Catholic media organisations: OCIC (for cinema) and Unda (for radio and television), both of which were originally founded in 1928

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