The news agencies of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) have signed a partnership protocol aimed at strengthening media cooperation across the region. The signing ceremony took place Thursday in Ouagadougou, on the sidelines of the 14th edition of the African Communication Universities (UACO).
The agreement, concluded between Burkina Faso’s Agence d’Information du Burkina (AIB), Mali’s Agence Malienne de Presse et de Publicité (AMAP), and Niger’s Agence Nigérienne de Presse (ANP), seeks to enhance the exchange of information, editorial content, and professional expertise within the AES space.
In addition to the multilateral protocol, AIB also signed bilateral cooperation agreements with AMAP and ANP. These arrangements are designed to facilitate deeper collaboration on editorial and technical content sharing.
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Communication Pingwendé Gilbert Ouedraogo, Mali’s Minister of Communication Alhamdou Ag Ilyene, and Niger’s Minister of Communication Adji Ali Salatou described the agreements as a “historic and decisive step” toward building stronger media cooperation in service of Sahelian populations. They emphasized that closer collaboration among national news agencies is a strategic tool to counter disinformation and to promote narratives rooted in the realities of AES countries.
Participants in the discussions leading to the agreement also called for the eventual creation of a Confederated Union of AES news agencies, a step toward establishing a single confederal agency.
The signing marks a major advance in formalizing cooperation among AES media institutions, with the goal of reinforcing information sovereignty and responding to the communication challenges facing Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
Later in the day, the heads of the Malian and Nigerien news agencies visited the offices of AIB, where they held exchanges with staff.
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