Sponsored content and partnerships
How AVO works with partners, and how to tell paid content from our journalism.
Africa’s Very Own Magazine (“AVO”) is an independent publication owned and operated by Digital Thread Proprietary Limited. Partnerships with brands and organisations help pay for the magazine. This policy explains how we work with partners and how we make sure readers can always tell paid content from our own journalism.
The short version
- Anything a partner pays for or supports is labelled “In partnership with” and names the partner.
- Partners can check facts about themselves, but they do not approve or rewrite our stories.
- Partners have no say over our independent coverage, including coverage of them.
Types of content
Independent journalism
Most of AVO is chosen, written and edited by our team and contributors with no payment from anyone involved. No partner sees it before it is published or influences what we cover.
Partner content
A partner pays for, or supports, a story or series that AVO produces. The story is labelled “In partnership with” and names the partner at the top of the page, on its card wherever it appears on the site, and in the newsletter. We decide how the story is told and keep editorial control.
What partners can and cannot do
- Partners may agree the subject of a partner story with us, and supply information and images.
- Before publication, partners may check the facts we state about them, their products and their people, and ask us to correct factual errors.
- Partners do not approve, rewrite or veto the story, its headline or its images.
- Partners cannot pay for, or ask for, changes to our independent journalism, or for a story about them to be left out or removed.
Labels
Partner content always carries “In partnership with” and the partner’s name. We do not hide or shrink the label, and we do not remove it from a story after publication. If a story was paid for, it says so, however small the payment.
When we share partner content on social media, we label it there too, using that platform’s paid partnership tools where they exist, or a clear label such as “Ad” or “Paid partnership”.
Gifts, tickets and travel
Sometimes brands and organisers give AVO free products, tickets or travel so we can review or report on something. That does not make a story partner content, and it does not buy positive coverage. Where it is relevant, such as for a review, we say so in the story.
Our writers
AVO writers and contributors must tell their editor about any payment, gift or personal or business connection with the people and brands they cover. See our Contributor Terms.
Links
AVO does not currently use affiliate links, which earn a commission when you buy something. If we start, we will update this policy and label those links.
Working with us
To discuss a partnership, use the Contact page and choose Advertising and partnerships.
Last updated: 8 October 2026.