Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has urged the establishment of a pan-African media giant capable of uniting the continent and reshaping Africa’s image on the global stage.
Speaking at the Broadcasting at the Crossroads Forum hosted by the Africa Media Bureau in Accra on Friday, September 26, Kufuor stressed the urgency for Africans to reclaim their narrative by telling stories that reflect the continent’s true identity, struggles, and opportunities.
He proposed Accra as a potential hub for such a media network—one that would cut across regional and linguistic divides while fostering cultural exchange, continental integration, and shared development.
“If media professionals can build a strong, truly African agency here in Accra—covering politics, business, social life, entertainment, trade, and industry—Africans in Nigeria, Nairobi, or South Africa will see ourselves differently and do better,” Kufuor said.
The former president lamented that Africa’s image is still largely defined by foreign media, resulting in skewed narratives.
“Poor Africa has so far been defined from outside. We are still searching for our identity,” he noted, adding that initiatives like the AfCFTA risk being reduced to “just talk” if the continent fails to harness digitalisation and global technology.
He further questioned Africa’s limited control of digital platforms despite their growing influence:
“We talk about platforms, but how many of them are managed and driven by us?”
Kufuor also pointed to colonial-era legacies, particularly language divisions, as barriers to unity.
“We are still trapped in the blinkers of colonialism. We are Anglophone, Francophone, Lusophone—we don’t really know ourselves,” he said, stressing how this disconnection hampers collaboration.
He challenged African media professionals to lead the charge in fostering unity through storytelling and to position the continent to define itself in the digital era.
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