The late Dr Tikhala Chibwana, WAN-IFRA Women in News (WIN) Africa director, is remembered as an exceptional leader, mentor and gender equality advocate.
Dr Chibwana passed away on June 7 after a short illness.
“Dr T, as he was fondly referred to, inspired and motivated hundreds of journalists to take on greater leadership roles in the industry,” said WAN-IFRA director of media development and WIN executive director Melanie Walker in a statement.
Hailing from Malawi, Dr Chibwana’s tenure in the African media and media development industries spanned more than 20 years. He held various managerial positions in the industries before spending five years heading WAN-IFRA’s WIN Africa's programme.
“Dr Tikhala Chibwana was passionate about gender equality in the newsroom and worked tirelessly not only to share his extensive skills with women media leaders but also to promote effective policies in the newsroom,” said frayintermedia CEO Paula Fray.
Dr Chibwana also served on the Media Institute of Southern Africa Trust Funds Board (MISA TFB) and was the Southern African Media Development Fund (SAMDEF) chairperson, a position he held from 2014 till his passing.
In a statement, MISA TFB chairperson Luckson A Chipare described Dr Chibwana as an “ardent defender of media freedom and freedom of speech”.
“All of us who were privileged to work with him know that his legacy is much more than the WIN programme - he was a tireless campaigner for good media in the region,” Fray said.
Dr Chibwana is survived by his wife and three children.
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