African radio leaders discuss strategic transformation in Abidjan

African radio leaders gathered at the 16th General Assembly of the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) in Abidjan, the economic capital of Cote d'Ivoire, on Thursday and Friday, to reflect on the strategic transformation of radio stations in the new era aimed at enhancing technological innovation, financial resilience and content sovereignty.

At the opening ceremony, President of the Executive Council of AUB Cleophas Barore advocated for a fundamental rethink of African media strategies.

"Our collective duty is to imagine, propose, and implement models that allow not only the survival but the sustainable prosperity of our media institutions," he said.

He noted the importance of narratives rooted in African cultural realities and urged rethinking the economic models of African media amid the funding crisis and the technology-led disruption in the sector's operation.

Ivorian Minister of Communication Amadou Coulibaly also urged broadcasters to integrate with new media, namely "new communication and broadcasting channels that are social media, streaming, podcasts," while "innovating and enhancing local content" to embody their historical, cultural, tourist, and socio-economic values.

Nearly 100 media executives from over 50 African countries attended the event.

China Media Group (CMG) participated for the second consecutive year as an international member.

During the assembly, CMG and the AUB jointly held the "Our African Partners" media exchange event for 2025. CMG also exhibited its top technological innovation achievements.

CMG's African Bureau showcased the latest AI technology platform, "CMG Media GPT 2.0", to media partners from various African countries. It gave demonstrations of imagery and video generation, AI anchor, smart analysis of sports and other innovative functions of the platform.

"It's excellent. The images are very beautiful, there's depth, there's animation, and we must take care of the quality of the message that is transmitted through these images. And we want to encourage the designers of this technology that allows us to be ahead of technological development in media. Anyway, bravo to the Chinese people," said Robert Beugre Mambe, prime minister of Cote d'Ivoire.

During the conference, CMG's report on the great wildlife migration in East Africa received a special excellence award for cultural exchange and technological innovation from the AUB.

The report is the first to apply technologies such as 5G, AI and 8K to the production of large-scale outdoor live broadcasts.

It was simultaneously streamed on multiple platforms both domestically and internationally, garnering over 55 million views.

African radio leaders discuss strategic transformation in Abidjan

Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Italy and Greece on Saturday to protest against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, with protesters in Rome, Milan and Athens condemning Washington's actions and calling for respect for Venezuelan sovereignty.

In Rome, more than 1,000 demonstrators marched toward the area near the U.S. Embassy, calling on Washington to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

Police blocked roads around the embassy to prevent protesters from approaching the building, but demonstrators continued to denounce U.S. actions.

"First of all, we oppose U.S. imperialist aggression. This kind of behavior is shameful. The U.S. is attacking a sovereign country, and as [U.S. President Donald] Trump himself has said, this is for oil interests," said protester Giovanni Barbera.

Saturday's rally marked the second large-scale protest in Rome this month against U.S. military operations in Venezuela, following an earlier one on on Jan 3.

Participants included members of multiple political parties, labor unions and social organizations. The protesters held banners reading "Stop imperialist interference" and "Free Maduro," urging the international community to respect Venezuela's sovereignty and the will of its people, and condemning the U.S. for violating international law.

"We are protesting the way the U.S. handles international politics. Since the events of January 3, we have seen violations of international law, and we are very concerned about how the global situation is developing," said protester Stefano De Angelis.

Organizers said solidarity rallies in support of Venezuela were held in 30 Italian cities on the same day.

Meanwhile, similar protests were also staged in Greece. About 200 people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens, voicing support for Venezuela and opposition to U.S. military actions.

"We oppose U.S. imperialism and its attack on Venezuela. At the same time, the U.S. is also threatening Cuba, Mexico and Greenland. We must stand up against this behavior," said Greek protester Argiro Sirmakezi.

Protesters rally in Italy, Greece against U.S. military operation in Venezuela