Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has sharply criticised the near absence of African media presence in the Russian Federation, arguing that this gap undermines the development of a positive and balanced Russia\u2013Africa relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking at the plenary session of the Ministerial Conference held in Cairo, Egypt, Lavrov noted the lack of African journalists accredited in Russia and stressed that the media can play a vital role in shaping mutual understanding and cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cObjective media coverage in both regions, strengthening ties between Russian and African journalists, opening new Russian media outlets in African countries and African media outlets in Russia, and implementing joint educational programmes are making a significant contribution to the formation of a positive Russian-African agenda,\u201d Lavrov emphasized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lagging Behind Global Competitors<\/strong> By contrast, China has pursued a deliberate, long-term media engagement strategy in Africa. As early as 2006, at the first Forum on China\u2013Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing, Chinese authorities articulated a vision for media exchange to enhance mutual understanding and promote objective coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This strategy led to the establishment of China Radio International in Nairobi, the launch of CGTN Africa, and the 2012 launch of the African edition of China Daily. China has also invested heavily in digital infrastructure and provided training programmes, workshops, and exchanges for African journalists, as well as financial and technical support to expand communications capacity across the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Information Gap<\/strong> This information-hungry population, roughly twice the size of Russia\u2019s population, has limited access to high-quality reporting on Russia\u2019s economic achievements, strategic outlook, and investment initiatives. The lack of direct Russian or African-based reporting contributes to distorted perceptions and weakens economic and entrepreneurial ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite renewed political engagement between Russia and Africa in recent years, mutual unfamiliarity persists. Russian businesses often lack insight into African market structures and consumer behaviour, while African audiences remain insufficiently informed about Russian capabilities and opportunities\u2014creating significant obstacles to deeper cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Call for Media Engagement<\/strong> Professor Irina Abramova, Director of the Africa Studies Institute, noted that Russian officials frequently complain about anti-Russian narratives in Western media, yet simultaneously restrict African media accreditation in Russia. She stressed that information has become a powerful force shaping reality and that journalists play a decisive role in determining whether Russia\u2013Africa relations are built on truth or misinformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abramova also highlighted that, despite Africa\u2019s historical memory of the Soviet Union\u2019s support for decolonisation, new forms of colonialism\u2014particularly informational\u2014continue to emerge. She called on African media organisations to establish a stronger presence in Russia, noting that no African news agency currently holds permanent accreditation there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, Professor Alexey Vasiliev, former Special Representative of the Russian President for Relations with Africa, argued that Africa remains largely unaware of Russia because African media primarily relies on Western sources. As a result, he said, Russophobia and misinformation originating in Western media are often replicated across African outlets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On May 16, Lavrov chaired a Foreign Ministry collegium meeting focused on cooperation with African media, underscoring the need to align media engagement with broader partnerships in education, culture, and strategic cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From Rhetoric to Action<\/strong> Despite repeated discussions on media cooperation at the Russia\u2013Africa Summits in Sochi (2019) and St. Petersburg (2023), no African media organisation has been accredited by the Russian Foreign Ministry. This gap persists even as Russia prepares for the third Russia\u2013Africa Summit scheduled for 2026 in Equatorial Guinea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lavrov\u2019s article, for African media dedicated to the Cairo conference, stressed \u201cRussia as an old and trusted friend of Africa\u201d and quoted the African philosophy of \u201cUbuntu\u201d which, in practical terms, hardly reflects on the two-way media cooperation. Is Africa media operating, in the Russian Federation, incapable of exploring and showing mutual support for deepening multidimensional cooperation? Seemingly the African philosophy of \u201cUbuntu\u201d has not reflected the level of Africa\u2019s media presence in the Russian Federation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The December 19\u201320 Ministerial Conference reaffirmed commitments to fully implement the Russia\u2013Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan (2023\u20132026), adopted at the second summit in St. Petersburg. That Cairo conference was held, for the first time, on African soil, the conference was attended by representatives from 52 African states and multiple regional organisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet, as this article makes clear, genuine progress will depend on moving beyond rhetoric toward concrete policy reforms and sustained support for a truly collaborative Russia\u2013Africa media landscape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has sharply criticised the near absence of African media presence in the Russian Federation, arguing that this gap undermines the development of a positive and balanced Russia\u2013Africa relationship. Speaking at the plenary session of the Ministerial Conference held in Cairo, Egypt, Lavrov noted the lack of African journalists accredited in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,16],"tags":[7,30,26],"class_list":{"0":"post-40837","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-culture","8":"category-news","9":"tag-apie-project","10":"tag-culture","11":"tag-news"},"yoast_head":"\n
Lavrov acknowledged that Russia\u2019s media footprint in Africa remains limited and does not reflect the growing political and economic ties between the two sides. In comparison for instance, Russian media networks remain weaker than major global players such as Bloomberg, the BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Al Jazeera, Quartz, and China\u2019s CCTV and Xinhua News Agency\u2014all of which have significantly expanded their African operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Russia\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to deliberate over accrediting African journalists, Western media outlets continue to dominate Africa\u2019s information space\u2014particularly among the continent\u2019s estimated 280 million middle-class consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In late November, Andrey Kondrashov, Director-General of Russia\u2019s state-owned news agency TASS, announced plans to open new bureaus in Angola, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Madagascar as part of what he described as a \u201cstrategic media development\u201d initiative. TASS currently operates offices in Egypt, Tunisia, Kenya, Morocco, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the Russia\u2013Africa Summit, Russian Ambassador Artem Kozhin revealed that more than 300 foreign news bureaus from 60 countries operate in Russia, employing hundreds of correspondents and technical staff\u2014yet African representation remains strikingly low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n