Addis Ababa: Russia’s news agency, having launched an African media hub in Addis Ababa, has reaffirmed its commitment to play a pivotal role in the efforts to resonate the voice of Africa and Ethiopia internationally.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, Russia has been recently expanding its media presence in Africa by launching its first large-scale, multi-functional editorial hub in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia during last week. The newly launched Sputnik editorial centre has become the first Russian media outlet broadcasting in the Amharic language in Ethiopia.
The media house also announced that there are plans to create content for radio, a website, social networks, and applications in Amharic and English, as well as correspondent work, including with the African Union. Speaking to POA, Rossiya Segodnya International Media Group Director General, Dmitry Kiselev (which includes Sputnik) said the agency would be an alternative outlet to disseminate untold African stories.
According to him, Sputnik will be broa
dcasting African-oriented contents in 32 languages. ‘This is the way our news agency works and the voice of Ethiopia and the voice of Africa will resonate across the world,’ he underscored. The Director General further disclosed the plan to launch Sputnik’s new services in Swahili and Hausa languages to better serve the African audiences.
‘Our office here in Ethiopia will serve as headquarters in Africa. In our presence with no one other African country before, this is where we build up our footprint in Africa from Ethiopia.’ On her part, Algal Sagor head of Sputnik in Africa said Addis Ababa will offer tremendous opportunities to Sputnik’s works as it is home to various international organizations including the African Union (AU).
Sputnik is anticipated to launch a 24-hour radio transmission in Amharic and English in collaboration with the local mainstream media outlets in the near future.