African broadcast chief seeks deeper media ties with China in Spring Festival message

Gregoire Ndjaka, CEO of the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB), has extended his heartfelt greetings to China Media Group as the Chinese New Year approaches, praising the "exemplary, dynamic, and constructive cooperation" between the two sides over the past year.

Speaking on behalf of the AUB President and its 85 members across the continent, Ndjaka emphasized that joint efforts with CMG have significantly contributed to strengthening Africa-China relations and enhancing mutual understanding between their peoples.

The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, falls on Feb 17 this year and represents the most important holiday for Chinese people. Just over a year ago, the Spring Festival was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The full text of his message is as follows:

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends from China Media Group and CCTV Video News Agency,

On the occasion of the Chinese New Year, please allow me, on behalf of the President of the African Union of Broadcasting and its 85 members, and in my own name, to extend to all of you our best wishes for health and prosperity.

The past year has been marked by exemplary, dynamic, and constructive cooperation between the African Union of Broadcasting and CMG and CCTV Video News Agency. Through our joint initiatives and collaborative projects, we have contributed to strengthening the bonds between Africa and China, while fostering greater mutual understanding between our peoples.

This year also holds special significance for our Union as we celebrate its 20th anniversary. This important milestone encourages us to look resolutely toward the future and further consolidate our strategic partnership. In this regard, we reaffirm our commitment to enhancing cooperation with CMG and CCTV Video News Agency, particularly in the fields of training, co-production, and media innovation.

As the Chinese New Year nears, we express our sincere and renewed dedication to working even more closely together in the service of intercultural dialogue, peace, and friendship between Africa and China. We therefore wish you an excellent year ahead filled with success and new opportunities.

Happy New Year to all!

African broadcast chief seeks deeper media ties with China in Spring Festival message

African officials on Wednesday pledged to scale up investment to accelerate development across the member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at a meeting in Accra, Ghana's capital.

They made the commitment during the 24th Annual General Meeting of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), where leaders highlighted the need to expand the bank's capital base to finance transformative projects.

Ghanaian Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson stressed that timely capital payments would strengthen EBID's leverage and sustain its growth, enabling the institution to stimulate inclusive economic expansion across the region.

"Timely capital payments are critical. It strengthens EBID leverage and sustains its growth and impact across our region. Expanding our capital base is essential to strengthen our ability to finance transformative development projects and stimulate inclusive economic growth among our member states," said Forson.

EBID recorded strong achievements in 2025, with total disbursements of about 722 million U.S. dollars, up 47.7 percent from 2024. Building on that momentum, President George Agyekum Donkor said the bank remains committed to helping member states tackle poverty and close infrastructure gaps across the region.

"We aim to direct at least 63 percent of new commitments towards the private enterprises to catalyze job creation and innovation. Simultaneously, the bank would embed environmental, social and governance principles across its operations, dedicating over 41 percent of resources to climate mitigation and social inclusion projects," said Donkor.

With disbursements surging nearly 48 percent last year, EBID officials said the bank is positioned to channel more resources into private-sector growth and climate-focused projects, reinforcing its role as a driver of inclusive development across West Africa.

African officials vow stronger investment push at ECOWAS bank meeting in Accra