Zimpapers Writer
Zimpapers (1980) Limited has expanded its cooperation with Russian media organisation Rossiya Segodnya following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at strengthening information exchange and promoting the sharing of authentic stories about the two countries.
The agreement was signed at a media forum in Moscow ahead of the Russia-Africa Summit, which starts today.
Rossiya Segodnya also concluded cooperation agreements with media organisations in Algeria, Chad, Morocco and Ghana as well as universities in Ethiopia and Niger.
The partnership with Zimpapers builds on an existing cooperation agreement and is expected to open opportunities for wider content exchange and collaboration between the two media organisations.
Zimpapers chief strategy and transformation officer Mr Gorden Mwerenga said the group was ready to begin implementing activities outlined in the agreement.
“Zimpapers is very excited about this landmark partnership and is ready to begin implementing the activities envisaged by the agreement,” he said.
“It also opens up opportunities to bring authentic, undistorted stories about Zimbabwe and Russia to audiences in a variety of ways regardless of physical borders.”
Rossiya Segodnya director of international cooperation Mr Vasily Pushkov said the agreements reflected a shared commitment to building mutually beneficial partnerships with media organisations and institutions across Africa.
“I have no doubt that this cooperation will benefit both sides and, more importantly, will be conducted in a tolerant and respectful manner, as relations between equal partners who can teach each other a great deal,” he said.
The agreements with the Algerian newspaper Le Jeune Independant, Chad’s Alwihda Info and Morocco’s news website Hespress provide for expanded content exchange in French and English.
A partnership with the Ghana Broadcasting Company will focus on exchanging audio content, while the memoranda signed with Debre Marcos University in Ethiopia and Niger’s Higher School of Journalism and Communication seek to promote expert dialogue, knowledge exchange and joint professional events.
The partnerships also place emphasis on journalism training and the use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, in newsrooms and media education.
Le Jeune Independant publication director Mr Kamel Mansari said the agreement would strengthen information exchange and professional training while creating opportunities for deeper collaboration in areas such as artificial intelligence.
Alwihda Info director-general Mr Ahmat Mahamat Yacoub Djamil said the partnership would encourage broader thinking about the development of a stronger media space.
Ghana Broadcasting Company director-general Mr Amin Alhassan said the agreement would give the broadcaster access to Russian perspectives on domestic and international affairs, broadening the range of viewpoints available to its audiences.
Hespress editor-in-chief Abderrahim El Asri said the partnership would facilitate the exchange of professional experience and knowledge, help develop journalistic skills and strengthen ties between
African countries and Russia.
Debre Marcos University president Dr Sayeh Kassaw Agegnehu said the memorandum could
support more artificial intelligence masterclasses for aspiring journalists in Ethiopia.
He emphasised that AI should complement, rather than replace, human judgment in digital journalism.
The expanded cooperation comes as media organisations increasingly explore cross-border partnerships to exchange content, develop professional skills and adapt to technological changes in the news industry.
For Zimpapers, the agreement provides an opportunity to broaden engagement with Russian media while increasing the reach of Zimbabwean stories to international audiences. – Additional reporting: Sputnik Africa.
