Media is power. It shapes narratives, influences policy, and connects people.
African and Turkish media professionals gathered at the Türkiye-Africa Media Forum in Istanbul on Friday, where they discussed key issues, including digital transformation, media independence, and global narratives.
“The reality is that Türkiye and Africa are both victims of disinformation,” Amadou Mahtar Ba, executive chairman of AllAfrica Global Media, told TRT Afrika.
“So, it is critical for Africans and Turkish people to take the opportunity of the new information and communication technologies to be able to push their narratives out so as to combat the misinformation and disinformation," he added.
Major challenges
The forum, organised by Türkiye’s Communications Directorate, came at a critical time when Africa’s media landscape faces major challenges. These include funding shortages, limited access to latest technology, political pressure, and the growing threat of disinformation.
According to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, disinformation campaigns in Africa have surged nearly fourfold since 2022, leading to destabilision, social tensions and anti-democratic consequences.
“A lot more people are getting their news or information from social media platforms. And that's where disinformation is happening because there are no journalistic checks that would normally do the fact checking, make sure the information is fair,” Gladys Njoroge, Executive Producer at TRT World, observed.
Moreover, many African media outlets continue to struggle to remain independent or compete favourably and tackle the long-standing dominant Western narratives that have been stereotyping the continent.
‘Victim of narrative’
“For too long, Africa has been a victim of a narrative created somewhere else and imposed on the continent and its people. That has a lot of damage, not only at the human level but also at the economic and financial level,” said Ba.
Meanwhile, Türkiye has expanded its footprint in Africa through trade, infrastructure, and diplomacy. It has also penetrated the media space, establishing TRT Afrika which delivers content in four languages - English, French, Hausa and Swahili.
“Africa should not let its own stories be told by others, by prejudiced minds, by people who really want to see Africa in a way that is convenient for their perception,” said Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen, the Director General of Eastern and Southern Africa at Türkiye’s ministry of foreign affairs.
She said TRT Afrika's motto: 'Afrika, as it is' is apt.
Boost partnerships
The Türkiye-Africa Media Forum hopes to boost partnerships between Türkiye and African countries in offering training, technology, and content exchange.
The forum also addressed addressing key issues—combating disinformation, boosting local content production and creating sustainable media models.
But beyond collaboration, one pressing question remains: How can African media build long-term resilience in a rapidly shifting global landscape?
“Mr Fahrettin Altun (Head of Türkiye's Directorate of Communications) has emphasised that Türkiye is quite a developed country in terms of providing expertise in fighting against disinformation. There is a strong infrastructure and technical layout for that which we are ready to share with all our African partners,” said Ülgen.
Experts say collaboration is essential in strengthening the African media landscape as well as making it more powerful and impactful.
