African Media Agency

What African Media Agency does

African Media Agency (AMA) is a privately held pan-African communications agency founded in 2013 and headquartered in New York, with primary operational hubs in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) and Kampala (Uganda), and local presence across Johannesburg, Nairobi, Lagos, Dakar, Casablanca, Cairo, and Accra. The firm operates four integrated service lines: (1) AMA Wire, a proprietary press-release distribution platform that delivers content to hundreds of newsrooms across Africa within minutes; (2) Public Relations services spanning strategy, implementation, and monitoring; (3) Digital & Creative services covering social media campaigns, graphic design, and podcast production; and (4) AMA Academy, a not-for-profit journalism training initiative.

AMA's business model combines professional services fees (PR retainers and digital campaigns) with recurring subscription-style revenue from AMA Wire press-release distribution. The firm targets enterprise and institutional clients — including multinationals (SAP, Vodafone, Merck, Boeing, Barclays), development organizations (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UN Global Compact, African Development Bank, Next Einstein Forum), and African corporates — with a go-to-market built on direct account-director engagement, high-profile event partnerships (Brand Africa, UN Global Compact), and earned media showcasing campaign outcomes such as the SABRE Award-winning 'Heal by Hair' mental health campaign (353 million media views).

The firm is led by founder and CEO Eloïne Barry, with senior outreach led by Meganne Boho and country leadership for Ghana held by Angela Akua Asante. AMA is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or public financials, indicating a bootstrapped operating model that has scaled to 11–50 employees through reinvested earnings.

Name

African Media Agency

Legal name

African Media Agency

Website

https://africanmediaagency.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Relations Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Media Relations & Press Office Services (MPAAADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nonprofit & Cause Communications (BPAFADAK), Brand Campaign & Integrated Communications Agencies (MPAAAAAC)

Keywords

• Public relations services
• Press release distribution
• Corporate communications
• Digital marketing services
• Media relations agency

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Relations Services: Tailored PR solutions from strategy development to implementation and monitoring, serving corporate clients across Africa
2. Press Release Distribution (AMA Wire): Distribution of press releases to hundreds of newsrooms across Africa, generating revenue through per-release or subscription fees
3. Digital & Creative Services: Creative solutions including social media campaigns, graphic design, and podcast production

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

African Media Agency is a pan-African communications agency that helps companies grow their share of voice and connect with African audiences. Its core offerings include AMA Wire for press release distribution to hundreds of newsrooms, tailored public relations services from strategy through monitoring, and digital and creative services spanning social media campaigns, graphic design, and podcast production. The agency operates local teams across Africa with media relationships in every country on the continent.

Product overview

African Media Agency is a pan-African communications agency offering a portfolio of four integrated services. The core offerings include AMA Wire (press release distribution), Public Relations Services (strategy to implementation), Digital & Creative (social media, design, podcasts), and AMA Academy (not-for-profit journalism training). The company operates across multiple African markets with local presence in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Morocco, and Egypt, while maintaining headquarters in New York, Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), and Kampala (Uganda).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AMA Academy: A not-for-profit initiative designed to help African journalists and media professionals get the latest skills to improve their reporting.

Products and services

• AMA Wire

Quantifiable outcome

• 353 million media views worldwide for a single campaign (Heal by Hair mental health initiative)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Brand AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2026AMA partnered with Brand Africa, African Business, and MiPAD to launch the inaugural Africa CMO 100 (ACMO100) - a recognition initiative honoring the 100 most impactful marketing, brand, and reputation leaders across Africa and the diaspora. AMA is listed as an association partner for this flagship initiative.
• UN Global CompactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMA partnered with UN Global Compact for the Virtual SDG Summit 'Making Global Goals Local Business-Africa'. AMA mobilized its network to ensure the private sector could participate in achieving the SDGs. AMA acts as a trusted and authoritative source of news on a pan-African scale for this initiative.
• Bluemind FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMA conducted PR campaign for Bluemind Foundation's 'Heal by Hair' mental health initiative, training hairdressers as Mental Health Ambassadors. The campaign achieved 353 million media views, helped establish 27 organizational partnerships, and reached 212,000 women directly.
• African Business MagazineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Brand Africa, African Business, and MiPAD to produce the ACMO 100, the first benchmark ranking recognizing Africa's top 100 marketing professionals.
• MiPADminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Brand Africa, African Business, and MiPAD to produce the ACMO 100, the first benchmark ranking recognizing Africa's top 100 marketing professionals.
• AIMS (African Institute for Mathematical Sciences)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAMA distributed press releases for the Next Einstein Forum Global Gathering 2020, Africa's largest scientific gathering.
• Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAMA partners with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to connect with key stakeholders in African countries. The foundation noted AMA's unrivaled media reach and dedicated women-led local teams.
• Yango GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAMA distributes press releases and news content for Yango Group across African markets, covering topics like Yango Ride partnerships, Yango Fellowship program, and mobility initiatives.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• APO Group: APO Group is the largest pan-African press release distribution and media relations company, operating a newswire that distributes corporate content to African journalists and newsrooms. It is the closest direct competitor to AMA Wire and competes for the same multinational and institutional clients seeking Africa-wide media reach.
• Africa Practice: Africa Practice is a strategic communications and public affairs consultancy with offices across Africa and London serving multinationals, investors, and governments. It is highly comparable to AMA in serving global organizations seeking Africa-focused communications strategy and stakeholder engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman: Edelman is the world's largest independent PR firm with established Africa operations through regional affiliates. It competes for the same multinational clients seeking pan-African communications but as part of a global portfolio rather than an Africa-specialist positioning.
• BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe): BCW is a major global PR and communications agency with Africa regional capabilities. It competes with AMA for enterprise and government communications mandates across the continent.
• FleishmanHillard: FleishmanHillard is a global communications network with Africa coverage via regional partners and offices. It is comparable to AMA in offering integrated PR, corporate communications, and digital services to multinational clients targeting African audiences.
• Hill & Knowlton: Hill & Knowlton is a global public relations firm with Africa regional practices serving multinational corporations and governments. It competes for the same enterprise-tier PR mandates AMA targets.
• WE Communications: WE Communications is a global communications agency with technology and consumer practice areas including Africa-focused work for multinational clients. It offers an integrated communications and PR platform comparable to AMA's full-service positioning.
• Ogilvy PR: Ogilvy PR operates within the WPP network with strong Africa presence across creative, advertising, and PR. It overlaps with AMA's integrated communications and digital creative services for multinational clients.

Emerging players

• Brunswick Group: Brunswick Group is a global advisory firm focused on critical issues and corporate communications, with growing Africa-related mandates. It intersects with AMA in serving multinational clients on reputation and stakeholder communications for African market activity.
• DLK Advisory: DLK Advisory is a pan-African strategic communications and public affairs consultancy. It competes with AMA in serving African and multinational clients on corporate communications, government relations, and stakeholder engagement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/africanmediaage

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about African Media Agency