The African Meridian was founded in 2022 by Mr John GBENAGNON, a Beninese, pan-African professional with more than 12 years of experience in human rights, governance, and international advocacy across Sub-Saharan Africa. The African Meridian is published by Sohoutou Media, registered in Ghana andKenya.
Background
John GBENAGNON currently serves as Regional Director of Development at the Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD), where he leads regional strategy, partnerships and development on combining legislative advocacy, community organising, re-granting, and open-data tools to advance women’s rights, SRHR, civic space, and climate justice across Africa. He is also an Expert at Cabinet Monitoring, Evaluation and Governance for Action Etudes Consulting (MAECI) in South Africa.
Earlier in his career, he worked as a Communications Consultant for the international NGO Equality Now across five West African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Senegal), and as Communication and Information Officer for the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) in Banjul, The Gambia, where he took part in sessions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR).
Expertise
His work centres on mobilising youth networks, institutional strengthening, and engagement with African Union and United Nations mechanisms, including the African Youth Charter, Agenda 2063, the UN Human Rights Council and Universal Periodic Review, CEDAW, and the Maputo Protocol on the rights of women in Africa. He holds Master’s degrees in Project Management and Human Resources from ISM Adonai (Benin), a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Marketing from UPI ONM (Benin), and further qualifications from Methodist University Ghana and the Institute of Development Studies (UK). He is fluent in both French and English.
Why The African Meridian
That same conviction — that Africa’s institutions, its youth, and its story deserve to be represented on their own terms — is what led him to found The African Meridian. His vision for the publication is simple: make media free and accessible, pan-African journalism that any reader, on any part of the continent, can reach without a paywall in the way.
Contact
Questions for the founder or for The African Meridian can be sent to media@africanmedia.com.