ADDIS ABABA, April 22. /TASS/. Russia can provide Africa with what other countries are unprepared to offer and the continent is open to this cooperation, editor of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) Eric Biegon said at an international media forum.
"We understand that Russia can provide what other nations cannot. Africa is open to collaboration with Russia but must be clear on what the continent will gain from such a partnership," he told the international forum for journalists "Russia-Africa: The Way of Friendship and Cooperation" held in the Ethiopian capital.
Biegon emphasized that simply calling each other "friends" is not enough: the goal was to develop mutual ties. He noted that active student exchanges were underway between Africa and Russia, as well as joint projects in nuclear energy, medicine, and other fields.
Journalists from South Africa, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, and Ethiopia also presented their projects related to promoting Russia’s agenda in Africa, highlighting the vast potential for further collaboration. They mentioned certain technical and cultural challenges they encountered when working with Russia and pointed to pressure from Western broadcasting platforms and satellite systems whose influence is gradually declining on the African continent.
The forum, organized by the Alpha Dialogue center in partnership with the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund, is being held in Addis Ababa on April 22-23. It has brought together over 50 journalists from Russia and African nations, including Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania. The event is expected to feature expert discussions, masterclasses, roundtables on Russian-African media collaboration, as well analytical presentations by media representatives.
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