Twenty years ago, I responded to a call from NTV Uganda. The station was organising a week-long coverage of World Food Day commemorations and sought my insights. That single invitation in 2007 became a turning point. The following day, I returned for a live talk show, and just like that, my journey in the media as a food policy analyst began.
Over the years, NTV has done more than cover farming as a way of life. It has elevated food as a governance issue, a human right, and a matter of national importance.
From heated debates on GMOs and aflatoxins to urgent discussions on food safety, loss, waste, and the agricultural budget, the station has never shied away from the tough conversations.
I will never forget the morning when Agnes Kirabo, Executive Director of the Food Rights Alliance, sat on the Morning at NTV couch and declared, “Food is a health issue, social issue, security issue, economic issue, an environmental issue, and a governance issue.” That moment captured NTV’s approach perfectly: food is not a side story, but the main event.
Through its fearless reporting, NTV gave legitimacy to the Food Rights Alliance and reinforced the idea that no Ugandan should ever go to bed hungry.” It also gave me a platform to grow as a specialist in food systems governance, transforming my career in ways I never imagined,” Kirabo proudly accounts.
When the invitation came to attend the launch of NTV’s 20th anniversary celebrations at the Sheraton Hotel, I felt a deep sense of honour. To be featured in the pre-event sessions and to stand among the journalists and visionaries who have shaped this journey was overwhelming.
Thank you, NTV Uganda, for 20 years of turning on our world. Here is to 20 more where food remains on the table and at the centre of the conversation.