The African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) have called for deeper cooperation between Africa and China in the media and creative industries, saying stronger collaboration in content production, technology, professional exchanges and youth development could boost economic growth and strengthen people-to-people relations.
The call was made on Thursday at the opening of the 7th China-Africa Media Cooperation Forum in Beijing, attended by Chinese officials, African information ministers, journalists, media practitioners and members of the diplomatic community.
The forum, themed “Share Development Opportunities, Shape the Audio-Visual Future,” is focused on content innovation, cultural cooperation and technological development.
Speaking at the event, the African Union’s Permanent Representative to China, Alhaji Mohamed Sarjoh Bah, said the next phase of Africa-China media cooperation should focus on transforming the creative industries into drivers of economic development, responsibly harnessing digital technology and artificial intelligence, and investing in human capital.
Bah said Africa’s creative industries should be regarded as strategic sectors capable of creating jobs, attracting investment and stimulating innovation.
“Throughout history, stories have shaped civilisation. Today, the creative industries possess the power to connect cultures, create jobs, stimulate innovation and expand economic opportunity,” he said.
He urged Africa and China to move beyond traditional content exchanges and develop integrated value chains covering film production, broadcasting, animation, gaming, digital content and cultural entrepreneurship.
Bah also called for greater African ownership of the continent’s narratives, saying African stories should reflect its diversity, achievements, aspirations and realities.
“For too long, Africa has been viewed through lenses that do not reflect the aspirations, achievements and the realities of its people,” he said.
On technology, Bah urged both sides to harness artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing and next-generation communication platforms while ensuring that innovation remains inclusive, ethical and people-centred.
“As we embrace artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, we must ensure they are guided by the principles of inclusivity, fairness, transparency and accountability,” he said.
He also called for expanded scholarship opportunities, stronger collaboration among universities and research institutions, and mechanisms for knowledge transfer and skills development.
Bah described Africa’s youthful population as a major strategic advantage, stressing that empowering young people should remain a priority.
“At the African Union, we firmly believe that empowering our youth is not merely a policy choice; it is a strategic necessity,” he said.
He urged the media to play a more active role in promoting development, solidarity and peace rather than merely reporting on Africa-China relations.
The UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa, Ahunna Eziakonwa, said media professionals had an important role to play in changing global perceptions of Africa.
“Africa today is not a continent of scarcity. It is resource rich, it is idea rich, and above all, it is young,” she said.
Eziakonwa noted that by 2050, one in every four people globally would be African, with the majority under the age of 30.
She said Africa’s young population was already creating, streaming and distributing content on a scale that was attracting growing international attention.
She cited Nollywood, Nairobi’s animation industry and audiovisual productions emerging through Chinese partnerships as examples of Africa’s growing creative economy and potential sources of jobs, services trade and cultural exchange.
Eziakonwa encouraged African and Chinese broadcasters to co-create content rather than simply transmit it. She also called for young filmmakers from both sides to train together and use emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to develop content relevant to African languages and contexts.
“When African broadcasters and Chinese counterparts co-create rather than merely transmit, when young filmmakers train together, when new technologies, including artificial intelligence, are put to work in African languages and African contexts, we’re not simply exchanging content,” she said.
She said such collaboration would strengthen Africa’s “narrative sovereignty” and support the aspirations of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Delivering the keynote address, Cao Shumin, Deputy Head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of the National Radio and Television Administration, called for stronger two-way media cooperation between China and Africa.
Cao said China-Africa media cooperation had developed over the years and contributed to strengthening people-to-people relations through high-quality content.
She called for increased two-way screening and content exchanges, alongside greater emphasis on technological development and the use of emerging technologies to improve media production.
Cao also urged China and Africa to strengthen their friendship through high-quality and efficient media content while expanding exchange programmes for journalists, broadcasters, producers and other media professionals.
She advocated regular professional exchanges to build stronger networks and create opportunities for sustained cooperation.
Cao noted that China and Africa had already co-produced several audiovisual programmes and called for the partnership to expand into emerging areas, including artificial intelligence and AI-generated content.
The 7th China-Africa Media Cooperation Forum also features the China-Africa Audio-Visual Programme Exchange, the China-Africa Audio-Visual Youth Cooperation Initiative and a China visit programme for African media practitioners.
The activities are expected to strengthen professional exchanges, content collaboration and interaction among young media practitioners while using radio, television and audiovisual platforms to deepen China-Africa people-to-people ties and support economic and trade development.
