The President of the Southern African Broadcasting Association (SABA), Stanley Similo, has called on African media to take charge of telling the continent’s story.
Speaking at a two-day training workshop in Johannesburg, Similo said the image of Africa in international media is often negative — and it's time for African journalists to change that.
“The way we are presented and represented in foreign media is always the aspects of negativity... we have the opportunity to tell the stories the way they should,” said Similo. “There has to be a narrative that is different from what mainstream western media brings to our platforms.”
The workshop, hosted by SABA, brought together journalists from state-owned broadcasters across Southern Africa.
It focused on strengthening ethical journalism, improving newsroom management, and equipping reporters with tools to better cover African stories. A key area of discussion was how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming journalism — and the urgent need for regulation.
Journalists and trainers agreed that AI can enhance news production, but only if used responsibly.
“We have to take ethical considerations into play; we have to be authentic; we have to be truthful — which are the mantles of journalism,” said Bongani Matsebula, a journalist from Eswatini.
Patrick Mathio, a trainer from Seychelles, added that AI poses complex challenges.
“It was obvious from the discussions this morning that journalists in Africa are thinking about the challenges posed by artificial intelligence... the need for some form of regulation was brought up as extremely important, not only to journalists, but to political leaders as well.”
While AI use is growing in the region, training remains limited. According to the Namibia Media Trust Foundation, 84% of journalists in Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi are already using AI in their work — but only 24% have received formal training.
Seychelles journalist Marietta Labrosse shared that while AI is mostly used for translation in her newsroom, the workshop taught her “a few additional things” that will help improve her reporting.
NBC Head of News and one of the trainers, Peter Denk, encouraged journalists to embrace the positive potential of AI.
“What I am saying is leave the bad and use the good of A.I,” he said. “It can improve efficiency in journalism… the reporter can then concentrate on doing a much better quality job.”
Participants concluded that more awareness, training, and collaboration with lawmakers are needed to build a legal framework for responsible AI use in African media.