The Türkiye-Africa Media Forum, hosted by Türkiye’s Communications Directorate, kicked off on Friday.
The forum’s opening speeches were made by African Union of Broadcasting CEO Gregoire Ndjaka, Libya’s National Unity Communication and Political Affairs Minister Walid Ammar Ellafi, and Turkish Communications Director Fahrettin Altun.
"We believe that this forum will take our current strong collaborations to the next level,” Altun said, adding that the day-long event is expected to address relations between Türkiye and Africa and steps to strengthen these ties.
Referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s motto, "The world is bigger than five. A fairer world is possible,” Altun said Türkiye is contributing to peace justice, and freedom through its role as a mediator, rather than "interfering in the internal affairs of African countries.”
Altun stressed Türkiye’s desire to reflect Africa not "through its negative aspects, but through its true potential and dynamism.”
"We believe the global media ecosystem should operate based on truth and justice, and that Africa should be represented in global media with its own voice and in the most accurate way,” he added, slamming the West for its "biased and one-sided” stance against the African continent.
Ellafi, for his part, said communication has become a tool in ideological battles, and "we also need to actively participate in this process."
He said communication should be presented as a reflection of reality, which would benefit Africa.
"We see the African continent, with a population of 1.4 billion, progressing on the path of rapid development. It is also growing economically, but unfortunately, in terms of communication and media, it does not have the same level of engagement as its population.
"External sources approach it unrealistically. There is a perspective related to Western operations and disinformation. For instance, the issue of migration is only reflected negatively in the foreign press through numbers. It is not truly reflected with its causes,” he said.
Najaka said the issue of migration currently attracts the most media attention in Africa. "Unfortunately, the narratives related to migration are often dominated by misinformation and negative stereotypes. The director general of the African Broadcasting Union is organizing a summit for this purpose. This summit will reflect Africa's perspective on migration," he added.
The forum will feature panels on Strengthening the Media and Communication Ecosystem in Türkiye-Africa relations, Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communication: Exploring Opportunities for Cooperation within Common Vision, and Accurate Information Flow and Strategies to Counter Disinformation in Türkiye-Africa Media Relations.
Over a dozen panelists are expected to take part in the discussion to explain and discuss steps to strengthen ties between Türkiye and Africa.
