Capacity

By Abujah Racheal

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and China’s Xinhua News Agency are deepening discussions on expanding their partnership, with a focus on content distribution, capacity building and media cooperation.

During a courtesy visit by Xinhua to NAN headquarters on Monday in Abuja, the Managing Director, Malam Ali Muhammad Ali, highlighted NAN’s stature as the largest news agency in Africa with extensive global reach.

Ali said that beyond content exchange, the partnership could boost staff training and professional development.

Recalling past collaborations, the managing director said that several NAN staff had previously participated in Xinhua and Chinese media fellowship programmes, receiving training in China for periods ranging from three months to one year.

“Capacity building is an area we value highly.

“We have had staff benefit from Xinhua’s training in the past, and such opportunities can help strengthen African journalism,” he said.

Ali, who previously served as Chief Executive Officer of People’s Daily Nigeria, also reflected on his visit to People’s Daily of China a decade ago.

He said that its massive print run of two million copies underscored the scale of Chinese media operations.

He expressed confidence that, together with Xinhua, it would be possible to make global changes in building a fair international media space.

“The partnership would also foster greater co-operation and collaboration between Nigeria and the BRICS countries through promoting mutual understanding and respect.

“Furthermore, we believe that the co-operation will result in mutually beneficial practical projects beyond content exchange,” he said.

Mr Zhou Nan, Marketing Director of Xinhua Africa Regional Bureau, said that he was in Nigeria to take over the marketing role from the outgoing Chief Correspondent and to deepen co-operation with NAN.

“NAN is the most prestigious news agency in Nigeria.

“We already have a content exchange agreement from Mr Ali’s visit to China, and now we want to establish more substantial commercial co-operation,” Zhou said.

He explained that Xinhua produced over 2,000 photographs daily and translates some stories into multiple languages.

“The Africa Regional Bureau covers 48 sub-Saharan African countries, making it a key player in the continent’s media landscape,” he said.

According to him, Xinhua’s content is distributed to major global outlets, including the BBC, CNN and The Times.

“Currently, we have no distribution partner in Africa, a gap we hope to bridge with NAN as an entry point into the continent,” he said.

NAN reports that the meeting also discussed the upcoming African Media Summit scheduled to take place in Nigeria in the first quarter of next year.

The event will bring together African media leaders, information ministers and key government officials, with invitations extended to top African leaders, including the Chairman of ECOWAS.

The summit aims to deepen Africa–China media collaboration beyond news content into institutional and governmental partnerships.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman