By Enock Sithole
Across Africa, the demand for quality journalism education is rising rapidly, yet journalism schools are unable to keep pace. While more young people are drawn to media careers – fuelled by the expansion of digital platforms and the influence of social media – the number of credible, well-resourced institutions offering journalism training remains limited.
In several African countries, public universities offering journalism programmes are often overcrowded, underfunded and constrained by outdated curricula.
The growing interest in media studies on the continent has outstripped the capacity of these institutions to accommodate students, leading many aspiring journalists to turn to private colleges, some of them bogus and without the credentials to teach journalism or related fields. Unfortunately, many of these alternatives are poorly regulated and lack proper accreditation, further compounding the problem.
In Francophone Africa, particularly in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali, there are even fewer specialised journalism schools. Those that exist often lack the resources to offer practical training in digital media, investigative journalism, or broadcast production. Similarly, in Southern African countries like Malawi and Lesotho, journalism education is offered in only a handful of institutions in the capital cities, making it inaccessible to many students outside urban centres.
This shortage not only limits educational opportunities but also weakens the media sector’s ability to train and produce ethical, well-skilled journalists. As misinformation spreads and the need for professional reporting grows, the gap in journalism education becomes increasingly critical.
Bogus journalism schools have sought to close the gap. In recent years, Africa has witnessed an alarming proliferation of bogus journalism schools – unaccredited institutions offering substandard training and issuing worthless certificates.
These dubious establishments are often motivated by profit rather than the mission to nurture ethical, skilled journalists. The consequences are far-reaching: not only do they produce ill-equipped graduates, they also undermine the integrity of journalism in a continent where accurate, ethical reporting is critical for democratic development.
Understanding the reasons behind the mushrooming of such schools is essential to curbing their growth and safeguarding the future of media in Africa.
Failure of traditional institutions to meet demand
The chief reason for the mushrooming of bogus schools is the failure of public universities and private legitimate journalism schools to meet demand. So often, most legitimate schools suffer from overcrowding, underfunding, and outdated curricula. As the demand for media-related education grows, especially with the rise of digital journalism, traditional institutions have struggled to expand access or modernise their offerings.
This creates a gap that these substandard schools are more than willing to fill. They present themselves as flexible, modern, and affordable alternatives – albeit without the necessary rigor or oversight.
In most countries, journalists working in indigenous languages do not have any training, thus undermining the quality of content that is consumed by most people who can only access it in these languages.
Profit and political motive
Although the lack of spaces in journalism schools is perhaps the main reason why bogus schools are established, the profit motive is possibly the second biggest motive.
Establishing a journalism training centre can be relatively inexpensive compared to other professional schools. All that’s needed in many cases is a rented office space, spaces for class sessions, a few second-hand computers, and some equipment. This low barrier to entry has enticed entrepreneurs to enter the sector purely for profit without a genuine commitment to education or professional ethics. By charging tuition fees and offering fast-tracked courses, these institutions make substantial profits while delivering little educational value.
In some cases, the profit motive drives registered legitimate journalism schools to offer substandard education that produces graduates who are not ready for the newsroom. Public universities, in general, have also been blamed for this, but private colleges appear to be the worst.
In Namibia, there was an abundance of people doing journalism courses from online schools, said Dr Hugh Ellis, from the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). “They discover that they were attending bogus schools when they apply to further their studies in our universities. We reject them because their qualifications are not valid,” he said.
In Nigeria, bogus schools appear to be scarce, perhaps because the country has too many universities offering journalism education, according to Dr Isaac-Ogugua Ezechukwu.
South Africa is awash with such schools, ironically a lot of them operating in the proximity of prestigious institutions such as the University of the Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg, the University of Pretoria and the University of South Africa, in Pretoria.
Ajenda refrained from publishing the names of some such schools for fears of reprisals.
In Ghana, such schools awarding academic diploma or degree in journalism and media studies programmes are scarce because of the regulatory influence of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC). All academic programmes in every public and private tertiary institution in Ghana must be vetted and approved by GTEC. However, there are some mushrooming schools that mostly offer uncritical training in journalism, broadcasting, and so on. One key attraction for such schools is the high admission standards for university education. Admission to university requires the prospective applicant to have passed with credit or better (grade 6 or better) at the secondary school level in English, Mathematics and Science. Those who fail to meet this requirement easily find solace in such schools that promising mouthwatering opportunities in the media industry.
There have also been cases in some countries where politicians and business elites have been linked to the establishment of these bogus schools. The motivations vary: from creating media allies who are loyal and uncritical, to laundering money through educational enterprises. These connections can shield bogus schools from scrutiny and allow them to operate ‘above the law.’ When the media and education become tools for propaganda or profit rather than the public good, the risks to democracy and development are immense.
In countries such as Cameroon and Zimbabwe, some of these schools are used to create a steady stream of loyal media personnel who promote favourable narratives for their owners. By offering quick certifications and limited critical training, these institutions produce graduates more likely to serve political propaganda than pursue independent journalism.
Although some of such institutions do not openly advertise political affiliations, they can be identified through an analysis of their political leanings, ownership, leadership, curriculum, or funding sources.
Desperation for job opportunities
With Africa’s predominantly young population and high unemployment rates, many school leavers and graduates are desperate for opportunities. Journalism is an attractive option to the youth because it is often perceived as a relatively accessible profession compared to other professions like engineering or medicine. Unscrupulous institutions exploit this desperation, offering quick, cheap “diplomas” and “degrees” in journalism with promises of job placements or media connections. Students, unaware of the illegitimacy of these programmes, invest time and money into the false promise, only to discover later that their qualifications are not recognised by their countries’ media houses.
Another factor driving the rise of these schools is the glamorisation of journalism through media and popular culture. Young people are often attracted to the image of journalists as television personalities, radio hosts, or social media influencers. This perception of the profession makes them susceptible to flashy marketing by bogus schools that promise fast-track careers in media. The institutions often leverage social media to create an illusion of credibility, using testimonials, rented studios, and staged graduation ceremonies to attract unsuspecting students.
Weak regulatory frameworks
One of the primary reasons bogus journalism schools are flourishing in Africa is the lack of strong regulatory oversight in the education sector. In many African countries, especially in under-resourced regions, the enforcement of educational standards is inconsistent or entirely absent. Ministries of education or national qualification bodies often lack the manpower, funding, or technical capacity to vet and monitor the growing number of private institutions. A weak regulatory vacuum creates a fertile ground for unlicensed journalism schools to operate freely, sometimes even advertising themselves as affiliated with legitimate universities.
Many students and parents are unaware of how to verify the legitimacy of educational institutions. Accreditation processes are complex and not widely understood. Bogus schools exploit this ignorance by using impressive names, fake partnerships with international institutions, and fabricated endorsements from non-existent regulatory bodies. In some cases, they even operate websites that mimic those of legitimate universities, making it difficult for the average person to distinguish real from fake.
The rise of bogus journalism schools in Africa is a symptom of broader systemic challenges — weak regulation, economic desperation, poor access to quality education and misinformation. While the victims are often students who waste time and resources on worthless credentials, the broader casualty is the profession of journalism itself.
Africa needs credible journalists now more than ever – professionals equipped to be ethical in their practice, hold power to account, tell untold stories, and promote transparency. Combating the growth of fake journalism schools requires a co-ordinated effort involving governments, regulatory agencies, legitimate journalism schools, professional bodies and media organisations. Only through stringent oversight, public awareness campaigns, and strengthening of legitimate journalism education can the tide be turned.
To meet demand, governments, universities, and media organisations must collaborate to invest in journalism education – upgrading curricula to match ongoing digital advancements, expanding access to rural students, and ensuring that schools meet professional standards. Without these efforts, Africa risks a media landscape dominated by poorly trained practitioners, who are vulnerable to manipulation and only capable of misleading the unsuspecting public.
This article was originally published in the Ajenda newsletter