Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, has established itself as a steadfast ally of Mali’s political and diplomatic choices, Malian Minister of Communication, Alhamdou Ag Ilyene said, during the first Pan-African Media Forum, which opened Wednesday in Bamako.
Morocco distinguished itself by being among the few countries to immediately condemn the events that took place in Mali on April 25, while firmly stressing the need to preserve the country’s security, unity and territorial integrity, Ag Ilyene said.
The Malian official also highlighted the multifaceted cooperation existing between the two countries, noting that Morocco, under the leadership of the King, has consistently supported Mali in several areas, including health, training and defense, thus illustrating the depth of the longstanding ties uniting the two nations.
For his part, Mali’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Cooperation, Abdoulaye Diop, welcomed Morocco’s participation as guest of honor at the event, reaffirming the fraternal nature of bilateral relations.
In this regard, he underscored the Kingdom’s economic progress, describing Morocco as a key pillar and major player in South-South cooperation, while stressing that strengthening exchanges among African countries remains an essential lever for the continent’s co-development.
In his opening remarks, Malian Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maïga described the forum as a critical space for reflection, exchange, and proposals regarding the issues shaping the future of information in Africa. He noted that the event’s scientific, educational, and forward-looking dimensions make it a particularly relevant initiative.
“Technological revolutions have profoundly transformed the ways information is produced, disseminated, and consumed,” Maïga said, adding that digital technology, social media, and AI offer unprecedented opportunities to inform, educate, bridge divides among peoples, and promote access to knowledge.
Mastering both the national and continental narrative, he argued, is now a major strategic imperative. Informational sovereignty is emerging as a core pillar of state sovereignty and a fundamental lever for stability, development, and international influence.
“The challenge that brings us together today is precisely that of Africa’s informational sovereignty, grounded in the ability of Africans to independently produce, analyze, and disseminate rigorous, balanced information that faithfully reflects their reality,” the Malian Prime Minister said.
The inaugural edition of the Pan-African Media Forum opened Wednesday in Bamako, with Morocco participating as guest of honor.
The forum, which runs through June 6, is being held under the theme “Uniting Voices, Strengthening Links Among African Media,” with the objective of creating a pan-African institutional framework for dialogue among media professionals from Mali, the Alliance of Sahel States and other regions of Africa.
Participants in this continental platform for strategic exchange are due to address the challenges tied to the evolution of journalism in Africa and the shifting media landscape in the era of digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI), and social networks.
Discussions will also focus on combating disinformation, fostering cooperation among African media outlets, and improving the training and protection of media professionals on the continent.
The conclave seeks to enhance the professional capacities of journalists and media actors as they navigate digital transformations, new production tools, and the rigorous demands of modern reporting.
The forum ultimately aims to establish a permanent pan-African space for media consultation. It also plans to build the skills of at least 250 media professionals through a series of panels, practical workshops, and technical sessions.
The agenda features key panels addressing topics such as “Information Warfare: How to Build a Sovereign African Narrative,” “Media Cooperation: Resource Sharing and Solidarity Among African Media,” and “The Challenge of Information in Times of Crisis and Conflict.” Additional roundtables will focus on the professional, social, and economic protection of media in Africa, alongside discussions on the intersection of media, social networks, and artificial intelligence.
