CNN INTERNATIONAL STRENGTHENS AFRICA COMMITMENT

‘African Start-Up’ To Shine Spotlight On African Sme Entrepreneurs

CNN International today announced that it is further cementing its long-standing commitment to the African continent with the launch of a new programming strand.

‘African Start-Up’ joins ‘African Voices’, ‘CNN Marketplace Africa’ and ‘Inside Africa’ as the latest addition to the leading international news network’s programming output looking at the events that are shaping the African continent and the people defining the African story.

Deborah Rayner VP and Managing Editor Europe, Middle East & Africa, CNN International, said: “As the leading brand on the continent we are proud to continue finding new ways to tell the African story, in all its many dimensions, to our international audiences. We look forward to this new strand resonating both with African viewers and with viewers around the world. Africa is an important region for us as a global network, and ‘African Start-Up’ joins a strong stable of great programming.”

The new series, airing as a weekly segment and then bi-monthly as a half hour special, follows several SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) entrepreneurs in various African countries to see how they’re working to make their dreams become reality. It explores how they generate their ideas, formulate business plans, raise capital and distribute their products. The entrepreneurs take viewers through their daily challenges, charting both the setbacks and the opportunities that exist for those with the vision and creativity to try something new.

About CNN in Africa:

CNN is the leading international news brand in Africa according to EMS Africa (July 2012) and operates four bureaux across the continent delivering a diverse range of news content to its international audiences around the world.

Its programming remit for Africa dates back to 1999 when it launched ‘Inside Africa’ and has since then expanded with the launches of ‘African Voices’ and ‘CNN Marketplace Africa’ and now ‘African Start-Up’.

CNN has invested for 18 years in the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards, the most prestigious and respected award for journalists across the African continent. Its objective is to reinforce the importance of the role of journalists in Africa's development and to reward, recognise and encourage journalistic talent across all media disciplines.

About ‘African Start-Up’

‘African Start-Up’ airs each Wednesday in ‘Global Exchange’ at 1600 GMT / 1700 WAT / 1800 SAST / 1900 EAT on CNN International.

Every two months, viewers will be able to catch up with all the segments in a 30 minute special.

A dedicated CNN website www.cnn.com/africanstartup encourages user participation, and serves as a forum for ideas.

The weekly segments debut from this month, with the first half hour special set to air in January 2014.