By Abbas Bamalli/Hafsah Tilde
Beijing, Sept. 23, 2026 (NAN) China on Wednesday expressed its readiness to deepen media collaboration with Nigeria through professional exchanges, technological cooperation and joint content production.
Liu Linhai, Vice President of the Research and Training Institute (RTI), National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA), made this known at the closing ceremony of a two-week seminar for young Nigerian media professionals in Beijing.
The seminar, which was organised for about 28 Nigerian journalists, focused on broadcasting convergence and communication capacity-building, held at the RTI, NRTA, Shunyi Campus, Beijing.
Liu said the programme provided an important platform for Chinese and Nigerian media professionals to exchange experiences and discuss developments in journalism and broadcasting.
He said the interactions enabled participants to share diverse perspectives on media development, professional practice and the changing global media landscape.
Liu said the sessions exposed the Nigerian participants to China’s experiences in journalism and broadcasting, and also provided opportunities to discuss storytelling approaches to modernisation and poverty reduction.
He acknowledged the support of Zhou Kongyu, a representative of the Chinese Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria, toward the success of the programme.
Linhai said the participants had also demonstrated keen interest in emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), and their application in modern journalism.
He said technology could help bridge the digital divide, improve media production and enable Nigerian media organisations to reach wider audiences.
The Chinese official expressed the hope that the relationship established during the seminar would lead to further cooperation between media professionals from both countries.
He said future areas of collaboration could include joint journalism projects, sharing of audiovisual materials and co-production of short documentaries and micro-dramas.
Liu said such cooperation would contribute to strengthening mutual understanding and promoting closer people-to-people relations between China and Nigeria.
Responding, Dr Qasim Akinreti, representative of the Nigerian delegation, expressed appreciation to the Chinese government and NRTA for the opportunity given to the Nigerian media professionals.
Akinreti described the 15-day programme as an enriching experience that combined academic learning, professional engagement and exposure to China’s media and technological development.
He said the Nigerian delegation was particularly grateful to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Malam Mohammed Idris, for approving the participation of media professionals from various government-owned media organisations.
He said the participants were nominated from organisations including the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), among others.
Akinreti said the seminar provided the participants with opportunities to learn from Chinese media practitioners and institutions, while sharing experiences from the Nigerian media environment.
He commended the hosts for their hospitality, describing the professional and cultural exposure gained during the programme as valuable to the participants.
The Nigerian representative said the knowledge acquired during the seminar would contribute to improving professional practice and strengthening media cooperation between the two countries.
The seminar featured lectures, professional exchanges, institutional visits and discussions on broadcasting convergence, emerging technologies, Artificial Intelligence, digital communication and contemporary journalism.
The participants also examined ways of using new media technologies to improve storytelling and ensure that development-oriented stories reach wider audiences.
The closing ceremony was attended by officials of the NRTA, Chinese media and training institutions, the Nigerian representatives and other participants.
The seminar formed part of continuing efforts to promote professional capacity building and closer cooperation between Nigerian and Chinese media practitioners. (NAN)
Edited by Mark Longyen