A Ghanaian journalist used a major Moscow media forum on April 28, 2026, to call on both Russian and African media to abandon outdated portrayals of each other, as representatives from more than a dozen African countries gathered to discuss the future of Russia-Africa information cooperation.
Farid Mohamed Awal, representing Ghana at the IV International Forum of Journalists from Russia and Africa, told participants that Russian media continue to depict Africa primarily through the lens of insecurity and technological backwardness, while African outlets cover Russia almost exclusively in political terms, failing to convey the depth of Russian culture and society. He urged a fundamental shift in how both sides tell each other’s stories to better reflect contemporary realities.
The forum, held at the television studio of the Faculty of Journalism at Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), brought together journalists, academics, and media executives from Russia, Ghana, Algeria, Gambia, Cameroon, Libya, Mali, Mauritius, Mauritania, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Tunisia, and India. It was organised by the Russian-African Club of MSU in collaboration with the Faculty of Journalism and the Faculty of Global Studies, with support from the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS) and the Public Diplomacy Foundation.
This year’s forum was dedicated to the theme of mass media’s role in strengthening friendship and solidarity among peoples, timed to coincide with Russia’s Year of Unity of the Peoples. Speakers repeatedly raised what several described as a damaging mutual information deficit, with one senior MGIMO official noting that Africa remains a “media blind spot” for Russian journalism, while Russia receives sparse and shallow coverage across African media.
Participants highlighted the approaching Third Russia-Africa Summit as a deadline for concrete action. Alexander Berdnikov of the Russian-African Club described journalism as having become a “battlefield for information wars,” urging forum delegates to develop practical cooperation proposals ahead of the summit.
On the structural side, a representative of TASS revealed that over 400 media outlets across Africa currently use the agency’s foreign-language news feeds free of charge. The Russian-African Club’s media network spans more than 25 African countries, with over 300 publications and partnerships with more than 50 media organisations on the continent.
Nigerian academics from Kaduna State University presented research on digital platforms as entrepreneurial infrastructure, warning that algorithmic unpredictability introduces new economic vulnerabilities for African media businesses. A Mauritian journalist added that the growing use of artificial intelligence in newsrooms makes reliance on verified, reputable sources more critical than ever.
Delegates concluded that direct journalist-to-journalist dialogue between Russia and Africa remains essential, and that the lack of accredited African journalists based in Russia continues to constrain the depth of coverage on both sides.
