Former President of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufuor, has called for the establishment of a pan-African media powerhouse to help unite the continent and reshape the global narrative about Africa.
Speaking passionately at the Broadcasting at the Crossroads forum, hosted by the Africa Media Bureau in Accra on Friday, September 26, he emphasised the urgent need for Africans to tell their own stories—stories that reflect the true identity, challenges, and potential of the continent.
Using Accra as a potential hub, Kufuor envisioned a media house that connects Africans across linguistic and regional lines, fostering deeper understanding, cultural exchange, and continental integration.
“If the professional media people will find a way to establish a powerful media agency, say here in Accra—very African—to tell African stories, not just political, it could be economic, it could be social, it could be entertainment, it could be trade, it could be industry. I tell you, before you know it, the African in Nigeria, Nairobi, or South Africa—we would do better.”
Kufuor said that was because Africa was still largely defined by external media, with its people often consuming narratives that do not originate from within the continent.
He stressed that this external definition continues to distort Africa’s image, slow its progress, and fragment its identity.
“Poor Africa so far has tended to be defined from outside. We are seeking our identity,” the former President remarked. “For instance, now we are forming things like AfCFTA, but it tends to be just talk, talk… But then digitalisation, global technology—they are evading us.”
He noted that although technology has reached even the remotest villages, African control over digital platforms remains minimal. “We talk platforms. How many of the platforms are managed and driven by us?” he asked, highlighting the lack of African ownership in digital spaces.
Kufuor also pointed to lingering colonial-era divisions, such as language barriers, that continue to hinder African unity. “We still are locked into the blinkers of colonialism. We are Anglophone, my cousin in Côte d’Ivoire is Francophone, the next person is Lusophone—we do not know ourselves,” he said.
“You stop the person in Accra and you want to discuss something in Nigeria—you’d be lucky if this person knows anything,” he said, underscoring the disconnect between African countries.
