Speech by Mr. Grégoire Ndjaka, Director General of the AUB on, “The Challenges of Public Service Media in Europe and Africa”.

Speech by Mr. Grégoire Ndjaka, Director General of the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) on, “The Challenges of Public Service Media in Europe and Africa” at the Cadenabbia Leadership Forum for Public Service Media from Africa and Europe in Cadenabbia, Italy

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear colleagues,

Distinguished guests,

It is a great honor for me to speak in this place where the perspectives of Africa and Europe meet — two continents united by history, by exchanges, by dreams — and today, more than ever, by the shared responsibility to guarantee our peoples free, reliable information in the service of the common good.

Public service media, in Africa as in Europe, are the sentinels of democracy. They enlighten consciences, build cohesion, and remind everyone that truth should never be a luxury, but a fundamental right.

Yet, if the sun rises every morning on our antennas, it also shines upon our challenges. In Africa, the public journalist often advances between raindrops and dust storms — working under precarious conditions, with limited technical means, but with infinite passion.

And still, what strength of spirit! What creativity!

In Yaoundé, CRTV broadcasts educational programs in multiple languages to bridge cultures.

In Abidjan, RTI invents new formats for young audiences, blending digital innovation with African identity.

In Johannesburg, SABC fights to preserve its independence while reinventing its relationship with a demanding and connected audience.

And in Nairobi, KBC explores the convergence of radio, television, and digital media so that every citizen — from the slum to the savannah — feels included in the national conversation.

These examples tell one story: African public service media are alive. They stand tall, often in the storm, but always with the microphone extended toward the people.

Our challenges are many. They are first and foremost economic. Too often, African public broadcasters survive on uncertain funding. The license fee, where it exists, is insufficient; advertising revenues are shrinking; and State budgets are divided among countless urgent needs.

But a public broadcaster is not only nourished by money — it thrives on trust. And there lies our second challenge: editorial independence. How can we be the voice of the people without becoming the echo of power? How can we serve the nation without submitting to the politics of the moment?

This dilemma, we all know it. And yet, every day, newsrooms across Africa prove that it is possible to combine loyalty and freedom, public service and journalistic courage.

I think of ORTM in Mali, which maintained public broadcasting continuity even in the darkest hours of instability.

I think of Radio Rwanda, which reinvented itself after the unspeakable, becoming a symbol of national reconciliation.

I think of SNRT in Morocco, which embraced digital transformation without betraying its cultural identity.

Our challenges are also technological. Africa is vast, and its network coverage remains uneven. In some villages, radio is still the only window to the world. But that, too, is a strength: community radio, carried by familiar voices, continues to educate, alert, and unite.

And then there is the challenge of content: in an age when global platforms flood our screens, it is urgent that we tell our own stories — in our own words, with our emotions, our rhythms. We must defend the sovereignty of our narratives. Because if we do not tell Africa’s story, others will do it for us — and often differently.

In the face of these challenges, Africa does not ask for pity. It offers partnership. The AUB today brings together more than 85 members across Africa and beyond, united in an unparalleled network of cooperation. Through our AUBVision platform, we share African content every day across borders — linking Dakar to Addis Ababa, Algiers to Lusaka, Abuja to Antananarivo.

But the AUB’s work goes further. It plays a central role in training and capacity building for African media professionals. It fosters productive partnerships with international institutions and private sector stakeholders. It supports public broadcasters in collective reflection on the digital, financial, and ethical challenges of our time. And above all, it contributes to the awakening of media consciousness — so that our journalists remain builders of meaning and artisans of peace.

Our ambition is simple: that every African may see their continent as it truly is — strong, diverse, vibrant, and free.

And this is where Europe and Africa meet. For our challenges are similar: disinformation, loss of public trust, crisis of economic models, accelerated digital transition. But our responses can enrich one another. Africa can learn from European models of governance, financing, and archiving. Europe, in turn, can draw inspiration from the resilience, creativity, and collective spirit that drive African newsrooms.

It is through this reciprocity that a new media humanism will be born — a world where public service once again becomes a service of the people, by the people, for the people.

When an African griot tells a story, his aim is not only to inform — it is to bring people together. That, at its core, is the primary mission of public service media — whether in Europe or in Africa.

So, let us keep our antennas open like outstretched arms.

Let our cameras continue to seek light, even when the world seems dark.

And let our voices, united in diversity, carry far the message of a humanity that refuses silence.

Thank you.