Migrant Media Network

What Migrant Media Network does

Migrant Media Network (MMN) is a Berlin-headquartered non-profit initiative launched in 2019 by r0g_agency for giz (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) and the German Federal Foreign Office. It targets young Africans — primarily in Ghana and The Gambia — with the aim of improving migration decision-making through accessible information, vocational training, and peer-to-peer exchange. The target audience includes prospective migrants, returnees, and local communities affected by migration flows, with a focus on people in rural and low-connectivity regions.

MMN delivers its programming through a multi-platform offline-first technology stack. Core channels include a USSD-based information service for feature-phone users, an Android application housing educational content, and HyracBox offline server units deployed in communities to provide local network access without requiring internet connectivity. Content is delivered in local languages and includes the #SmartMigrationGuide (an offline self-paced curriculum covering safe migration, livelihoods, and rights), vocational training modules, and storytelling/media production by and for young Africans. The platform is operated by a distributed network of community-based Local Coordinators supported by diaspora mentors. The organization is a small team (approximately 24 people) with editorial, technical, and field operations roles.

MMN operates as a non-profit and does not generate commercial revenue. All services are provided free of charge to end users. Funding flows from institutional grants — principally from the German Federal Foreign Office, with implementation support from GIZ — rather than from user fees, advertising, or licensing. The model is therefore grant-dependent, with go-to-market executed through partnerships with local NGOs, community leaders, and government stakeholders in target countries rather than through conventional sales channels.

Name

Migrant Media Network

Legal name

Migrant Media Network

Website

https://migrantmedia.network

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Migrant Media Network is a Berlin-based non-profit initiative that delivers offline-first migration information, vocational training, and storytelling tools to young Africans in Ghana and The Gambia via USSD, Android, and HyracBox technology, funded primarily by the German Federal Foreign Office.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Migration Information and Education Services

akta.pro primary industry

Anti-Trafficking, Smuggling Prevention & Safe Migration Services (BPADAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Immigrant & Refugee Community Education (Integration/Navigation) (EDAAAFAH), Immigrant & Refugee Workforce Integration Programs (EDAAAOAJ)

Keywords

• Migration information services
• Offline mobile learning
• Youth migration education
• USSD information delivery
• Community migration training

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding / Grant: Primary funding from German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt). The project is implemented by r0g_agency for open culture and critical transformation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Migrant Media Network provides free information and training on migration issues and social media to young Africans in Ghana and The Gambia considering migration to Europe, delivered through a portfolio of offline-capable tools including the #MMN Offline Android app, USSD short-code service, HyracBox offline WiFi servers, Smart Migration Guide curricula, podcasts, radio talk shows, and community workshop sessions (Stammtisch/Bantaba). The project complements migration information with youth entrepreneurship and safer-alternatives messaging and is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by r0g_agency.

Product overview

Migrant Media Network (#MMN) is an information and training platform for young Africans on migration issues, social media sensitization, and entrepreneurship alternatives. The portfolio includes the #MMN Offline App (Android mobile application), #MMN USSD System (for basic phones in Ghana and The Gambia), HyracBox (RaspberryPi-powered offline server for remote areas), Smart Migration Guide (comprehensive printed and digital materials with interactive games), plus podcast series and radio talk shows. The organization also facilitates Stammtisch/Bantaba community discussion sessions and produces migration comic reports. All tools are designed to work offline or in low-connectivity environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• #MMN Offline App: Mobile application providing offline access to migration-related content and important information for practical use without requiring internet connection.
• #MMN USSD
• HyracBox
• Smart Migration Guide
• #MMN Voices Podcast

Products and services

• #MMN Offline App An Android mobile application that lets users access migration-related content offline after the initial download; designed with short text and small graphics for fast loading, accessible on any Android smartphone and intended for young Africans in Ghana, The Gambia, and diaspora communities.
• #MMN USSD System USSD short-code service providing free migration information via mobile phones without internet access; Ghana code *920*45# and The Gambia code *1228#, with messages up to 182 alphanumeric characters, targeted at users on basic feature phones.
• HyracBox A portable RaspberryPi-powered offline mini-server that creates a WiFi hotspot allowing multiple users to access #MMN training content, videos, and Field Guide materials in remote environments without power or internet connectivity; deployed via Local Coordinators and community centers.
• Smart Migration Guide A 10-chapter educational guide covering migration decisions, human trafficking, women in migration, visa applications, studies and scholarships, and positive alternatives; includes discussion topics, interactive games (Think carefully, move safely), Truth or Lie cards, and USB-contained electronic materials, designed for trainers and prospective migrants.
• #MMN Voices Podcast Series Podcast series featuring migration stories and discussions targeting audiences in Ghana and The Gambia; available on SoundCloud and produced in country-specific editions including a Gambia-produced version by Sheriff Bojang Jr.
• #MMN Radio Talk Shows Radio programs covering migration topics disseminated through community radio station partnerships in Ghana and The Gambia to reach wider audiences, especially in remote areas.
• Stammtisch / Bantaba Sessions Regular community roundtable discussions (Stammtisch in Ghana, Bantabas in The Gambia) facilitated by trained Local Coordinators in rural communities, featuring returnee experiences, migration information sharing, and youth entrepreneurship sessions; hosted in schools, churches, community centers, and partner venues.
• Migration Comic Reports Comic-style reports depicting migration experiences produced as part of the Alphabet of Arrival project, featuring contributions from journalists and illustrators across 10 countries.

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• You-netcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021You-net (you-netghana.org) creates opportunities for young people to enhance their leadership skills and contribute to good governance, peace-building and conflict prevention both at the national level and in their communities in Ghana.
• The Gambian Youth CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The Gambian Youth Council was established by an act of parliament in April 2000 to coordinate, facilitate, supervise, register youth organizations and to advise the government of The Gambia on utilizing Youth energy for national development.
• Hyrac TechcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2021Hyrac Tech (hyractech.com) is a social tech company focused on empowering people with the resources and education they need to succeed in the digital generation. Developer of the HyracBox offline server technology.
• Nalo SolutionscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2021Nalo Solutions is a mobile content solutions provider in Ghana, offering bulk SMS and content USSD services. Technology partner for USSD code implementation.
• r0g_agencyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019r0g_agency (openculture.agency) acts to put into practice mechanisms of sustainable open source methodologies using appropriate and community-based technologies (FOSS, OER, Open Data, Open ICT4D). Focus on enabling peace and fostering innovation in crisis and post-conflict regions. The implementing organization of the #MMN project.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Danish Refugee Council: International NGO providing assistance to refugees and displaced people, including protection and information activities in West Africa. Comparable delivery of community-level migration/displacement services in the same region.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ): German federal development agency implementing migration and youth employment programs on behalf of the Federal Foreign Office and BMZ. Directly comparable funder-implementer model to MMN's r0g_agency arrangement, though at vastly larger scale.
• International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD): Vienna-based intergovernmental organization working on migration policy and capacity building, including EU-funded migration information programs. Comparable in serving European donor priorities on safe-migration information for origin countries.
• International Organization for Migration (IOM): UN migration agency that already recognizes MMN through YENNA_IOM. Comparable mission (supporting orderly migration, counter-trafficking) but operating at global scale with vastly larger resources and policy mandate.
• UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency): UN agency mandated to safeguard refugees and displaced populations globally. Overlaps with MMN's information and protection concerns for displaced and migrating populations but at orders of magnitude larger scale and broader mandate.

Direct peers

• Mixed Migration Centre: Research and information hub producing data and analysis on mixed migration flows in Africa and beyond. Highly comparable to MMN's mission of providing credible information to inform migration decisions, though it operates at a regional analytical level rather than community-activator level.
• Samuel Hall: Independent research organization working on migration, displacement, and youth economic inclusion in Africa and Asia. Comparable to MMN's combination of migration research (e.g., Country Coordinator & Researcher role) and youth-focused livelihood programming.
• Awareness Against Human Trafficking (HAART): Kenya-based anti-trafficking organization focused on awareness, advocacy, and survivor support. Closely comparable to MMN's anti-trafficking awareness mission and community education methodology, though operating in East Africa.

Emerging players

• Hyrac Tech: Social-tech company that developed the HyracBox offline-server technology powering MMN's field deployment in remote areas. Comparable as an enabling technology provider for offline-first ICT4D interventions.

Others

• r0g_agency for open culture and critical transformation: Berlin-based non-profit and MMN's implementing organization, focused on open-source methodologies and ICT4D in crisis/post-conflict regions. Connected as the institutional parent and operational backbone rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MediaMigrant
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLqUF8a83B8aG5uy-y1Xzaw/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/migrantmedianetwork
• Instagraminstagram.com/migrant_media_network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Migrant Media Network