Follow Us on Google
African media professionals have called for deeper and more practical cooperation with their Chinese counterparts as digital platforms and artificial intelligence reshape the production and sharing of stories in the media.
The African media professionals made the call at the 7th China-Africa Media Cooperation Forum in Beijing, China.
CGTN Radio reports that African journalists said at the forum that closer exchanges could help both sides better understand each other, as new technologies are creating fresh opportunities for African newsrooms.
A Nigerian journalist, Michael Onjewu, said media cooperation starts with something fundamental: helping audiences understand what is actually happening between China and Africa.
“The role of media is strategic in the sense that without proper media, there are negative stereotypes about countries. But with proper media cooperation, we can begin to tell the true stories about China-Africa relationship,” Onjewu said.
Also speaking, a Zimbabwean political commentator, Derek Goto, said artificial intelligence is already making media production faster and less costly.
He added that affordable Chinese artificial intelligence models are making technology increasingly accessible to African newsrooms.
“For Africa, DeepSeek, for example, you want to do your research, it is free. So, any newsroom can use it. You want to do scripting. So, that accessibility in terms of pricing. I think it is a real game changer, not just for Africa, for the world at large,” Goto said.
Other News
Ugandan journalist, Raziah Athman, stated that greater use of artificial intelligence raised questions about credibility, governance and the future role of journalists.
“AI cannot take the human touch of journalism or of media. I don’t see a time when AI will ever do that. So AI is here to stay. It’s about remaining as human as possible, remaining relevant to our audiences,” Athman said.
In the course of the forum, journalists visited Rednote, a popular Chinese social media platform, where they saw first-hand how social media is allowing Chinese and African voices to reach audiences directly.
Athman further said such platforms can open new channels not only for communication, but also for business and people-to-people exchanges.
“With the discovery and formulation of new platforms, like Rednote, I think the most important thing, especially for young people who hold the biggest market, I think for them, social media will help with the direct access and relationship. And it works both ways, not just for a Chinese being able to access the market in Uganda, but all Africa. So, many Africans are also looking for ways of getting into the Chinese market,” Athman also said.
CGTN Radio further reported that the tools for telling China-Africa stories are evolving.
“And as those tools become more accessible, the opportunity is growing for Chinese and African media to tell those stories more directly and in their own voices,” the medium wrote.
