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NAIROBI, Nov.17 (Xinhua) – The entry of Chinese media companies into Africa has been a positive force for the continent’s media industry, experts said on Tuesday.
Tom Mshindi, former managing editor of the Nation Newspaper Group and former CEO of Standard Newspaper Group, said that Chinese investments have opened up more opportunities in all sectors related to journalism.
“The advantage that the Chinese have is that they have the resources to help train African journalists and expose them to the latest technology,” Mshindi said during the 2020 China-Africa media cooperation forum.
The China-Africa high-level media cooperation forum which was organized by the Chinese Embassy in Kenya and the Kenya Media Council, aimed to usher in a new era of friendly exchanges, exchange of knowledge, skills and experiences to reap the benefits of digitization in the media industry.
Mshindi, who has also been the managing director of Monitor Publications in Uganda, noted that the media industry on the continent has been one of the beneficiaries of the growing ties between China and Africa.
Linus Kaikai, chief strategy officer at Royal Media Services, said Africa can borrow critical lessons from the Chinese media industry.
He observed that African broadcasters tend to prioritize political news, unlike their Chinese peers who look at other perspectives such as development and innovations.
He noted that Africa can also leverage Chinese technology to optimize its operations and reach a larger audience.
Barbra Kaija, editor of New Vision Uganda, said that digitization has changed the way audiences consume news due to the increasing popularity of social media platforms.
He added that African news organizations can learn from China on how to develop viable business models that can monetize their online platforms that attract traffic.
Stephen Ndegwa, a communication expert, said that many Western media have portrayed Africa as a region plagued by chaos, poverty and disease.
Ndegwa added that Chinese media have had a positive socio-economic influence on the continent because they provide an opportunity for Africa to tell its story to the rest of the world. Final product
