By Gabriel Ameh
African media professionals are calling for deeper and more practical cooperation with their Chinese counterparts as artificial intelligence, social media and other digital technologies reshape the way stories are produced, distributed and consumed.
The call was made at the 7th China-Africa Media Cooperation Forum in Beijing, where African journalists and media professionals explored how emerging technologies could strengthen collaboration, improve understanding and create new opportunities for newsrooms across the continent.
Participants said stronger media exchanges between China and Africa could help both sides tell more accurate stories about their relationship while challenging stereotypes and improving public understanding.
Nigerian journalist Michael Onjewu said the media has a strategic role to play in helping audiences understand developments 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.”
Technology was also highlighted as an important tool for improving the capacity of African newsrooms.
Zimbabwean political commentator Derek Goto said artificial intelligence is already making media production faster and more affordable, particularly as accessible AI models become available to journalists and news organisations.
He cited DeepSeek as an example of an AI platform that can support research and scripting at relatively low cost.
“For Africa, DeepSeek, for example, you want to do your research, it’s free. So any newsroom can use it. You want to do scripting. So that accessibility in terms of pricing, I think it’s a real game changer.”
However, the growing use of AI is also raising questions about credibility, ethics and the future role of journalists.
Ugandan journalist Raziah Athman stressed that while AI will remain an important part of the media landscape, it cannot replace the human element of journalism.
“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.”
The forum also exposed participants to China’s evolving social media ecosystem.
As part of the programme, journalists visited Rednote, a popular Chinese social media platform, to learn how digital platforms are creating direct connections between Chinese and African audiences.
Athman said emerging platforms could provide new opportunities for communication, business and people-to-people exchanges between China and Africa.
She noted that social media could help young Africans explore opportunities in the Chinese market while giving Chinese businesses greater access to African consumers.
“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.”
The discussions highlighted how rapidly the tools for telling China-Africa stories are changing.
With AI, social media and other digital technologies becoming increasingly accessible, African and Chinese media organisations have new opportunities to deepen professional exchanges, expand their audiences and tell stories about their relationship more directly and through their own voices.
