Media professionals from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda can apply for a spot in this exchange program.

The Exchange Program for Media Professionals is a four-part, two-way media program run by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

This 18-month, multi-phase program is for 20 African media professionals and 20 of their U.S. peers. Five journalists will be competitively recruited from each of the four African countries- Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda. In the spring and fall of 2013, two groups of African journalists will spend approximately four weeks at American media organizations for practical fellowships and related programming. They will then join other fellows for a three-day Professional Fellows Congress in Washington, D.C. After each visiting group of African journalists, a group of 10 American journalists will travel to the partner African countries to work with the African counterparts.

The goal of this program is to provide an opportunity for journalists to study and become involved in journalism as it is practiced in each other’s countries. They will examine the role that journalists play in society and the challenges they face in doing their jobs. Some key themes of the program include the introduction to the United States and its media, the dual nature of U.S. News Media, social media strategies and digital tools for African journalists, and diversity.

The exchange sessions will take place April 7 - May 12, and October 6 - November 10.

The application deadline is January 15. Applications for U.S. journalists will open in 2013.

For more information, click here.