The African Media Initiative (AMI) is an unprecedented pan-African effort aimed at providing the continent’s media owners and practitioners with the tools they need to play an effective role in their societies and aims to strengthen the media sector in Africa. Mr Ba is also a co-founder and Chairman of AllAfrica Global Media, Inc – owner and operator of http://allafrica.com - an international multi-media content service provider, systems technology developer and the largest distributor of African news and information worldwide. Prior to starting AllAfrica, Mr. Ba served as Director of Communications and Marketing for BICIS Bank and helped lead the successful restructuring and privatization of the Panafrican News Agency (PANA). He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Council for the Future of journalism and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Knight International Journalism Fellowship. Mr. Ba has been selected twice as one of the 100 most influential Africans by the New African Magazine. He is also listed in the top 500 Africans contributing to the rise of the continent by the Africa24 Magazine. In 2012, EXPO 2015 and Afronline awarded him the African Media Prize acknowledging his "outstanding contribution to African Media and his skills on promoting innovation among African Media". Mr. Ba was educated in Senegal, France and Spain and is fluent in French, English, Spanish, Fulani and Wolof. He holds a Masters degree from the Ecole Française des Professionnels de la Communication in Paris and from the Paris 7 University (Jussieu).