SIMA 2025 Sets Stage for a New Era of African Media Narratives.
By Raymond Enoch.
The International Media Exhibition of Africa (SIMA) opened its inaugural edition in Dakar, Senegal, on Monday 27th October 2025,, marking a major milestone in the continent’s journey toward redefining its media identity and asserting sovereignty in the digital age.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission joined other high-level stakeholders at the forum, represented by Liberor Doscof Aho, Communications Officer, and Linda Akhigbe, Communications Advisor to the ECOWAS President, Dr Omar Alieu Touray.
Organized under the theme “Africa Facing the Challenges of New Media,” the event runs concurrently with the Regional Conference on the Right to Information in the Sahel, an initiative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
In his opening address, Alioune Sall, Senegal’s Minister of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Technology, described SIMA as “a forum for dialogue to rethink the future of African media,” emphasizing that Africa must be “the protagonist of its own narrative, the producer of its own content, and the guardian of its own image.”
He underscored the need for continuous training and professionalization of journalists in the age of artificial intelligence, stressing that “without well-trained journalists and economically viable media, freedom of information remains an illusion.”
Minister Sall also called for strengthened South–South cooperation, shared resources, and innovative business models to sustain media growth across the continent. “The time has come to think seriously about the media economy in Africa,” he urged, advocating for investment in media start-ups and new governance frameworks.
Earlier, Sambou Biyagui, Director-General of Senegal’s Maison de la Presse Babacar Touré, welcomed SIMA as a “strong signal” of commitment to press freedom and inter-African dialogue. He emphasized that in an era defined by social media and AI, “Africa must define its own models and priorities and invest in a strong, structured, and sovereign media sector.”
More than 15 countries, including Mali—the guest of honour—are participating in the week-long gathering, which brings together journalists, media executives, researchers, communication experts, and institutional partners to explore the intersection of media, technology, and democracy in Africa.
Chairman of the SIMA Steering Committee, Mactar Silla, called on participants to turn reflection into concrete action, framing SIMA as “a lever of national and pan-African soft power” to promote African values, creativity, and integration.
He warned that disinformation and external manipulation continue to threaten the integrity of African information ecosystems, calling for coordinated responses and continental solidarity.
Echoing these sentiments, Moustapha Cissé, National Secretary-General of the Senegalese Union of Information and Communication Professionals, and Thibaut Bruttin, Secretary-General of Reporters Without Borders, reaffirmed the shared responsibility of governments and media actors to uphold freedom of expression and access to reliable information.
SIMA 2025 positions itself as more than a media exhibition—it is a platform for ideas, innovation, and continental renewal. Through expert panels, policy discussions, and collaborative sessions, it aims to shape a media ecosystem capable of competing and innovating on a global scale while staying true to Africa’s diverse cultures and aspirations.
“We must lay the foundations for an African media ecosystem capable of competing, cooperating, and innovating globally. This is how Africa’s voice will be heard — strong, authentic, and sovereign.”
