Marius Musa Kargbo, AYV News, September 2, 2025
A three-week comprehensive course for Sierra Leonean journalists, press attachés, and government officials has successfully concluded in China amidst mutual appreciation of the depth of media cooperation and knowledge exploration between the two countries.
Sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China (MOFCOM) and the National Radio and Television Administration (NTRA), the seminar started in Beijing and went on in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. It assembled Sierra Leonean media professionals for lectures, practical exercises and cultural exchanges aimed at enhancing professional skills in journalism, broadcasting and information dissemination.
Addressing the closing ceremony, Liu Linhai, Deputy Dean of the Training Institute of NTRA, commended the participants for their dedication and emphasised the importance of the seminar as a forum for dialogue and cooperation. He emphasised the program’s role in promoting mutual understanding between cultures and introducing the participants to the latest trends in artificial intelligence, 5G broadcasting, and ultra-high-definition television technologies.
As part of the seminar, Sierra Leonean participants listened to presentations of top Chinese academics and media specialists. One of the most memorable was a talk by Mr. Chang Jin on Xi Jinping’s Thought on Culture, which underscored the importance of cultural confidence to a nation’s growth. They were also taught cross-cultural communication by Professor Hongli, as well as understanding how artificial intelligence can be used in journalism by professors at the Communication University of China. They also attended sessions on animation and storytelling, which helped broaden their understanding ofstate-of-the-art media production skills.
In addition to formal instruction, there were trips to such cultural and technological meccas. In Beijing, they visited the Great Wall, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Beijing AI Valley and the CPC Museum. In Shanxi Province, they visited Pingyao Ancient City, Taiyuan Museum, mechanised farms, aquatic breeding grounds, and traditional culture industries, including Shanxi vinegar making, traditional Chinese medicine and folk arts such as paper-cutting.
In a statement on behalf of the Sierra Leonean side, Dr. Marius Musa Kargbo, Director of Regions and International AYV Media Empire, expressed gratitude to the Chinese government, MOFCOM and NTRA. He said the training was “a rewarding, transformative, capacity adding training” that will improve the media sector in Sierra Leone.
“This program is not only academic; this is a bridge that is further fostering the friendship and cooperation between Sierra Leone and China,” Dr. Kargbo said. He also thanked Madam Sherry, Tiffany and Gloria, the coordinating team, for being alongside him every step of the way in the programme.
The workshop also noted specific Sino-Sierra Leonean relations benefits, with delegates denoting a recent USD 5m investment by the Chinese government in refurbishing the Sierra Leone Government Publishing Press as proof of China’s commitment to media development in Sierra Leone.
The seminar saw the participants of the seminar make short video projects such as Across Mountains and Seas, We Meet, China Through the Eyes of Sierra Leone and A Taste of China, A Glimpse of the Future, in a show of their mutual vision for openness, cooperation and cultural exchanges.
At the end of the program, both parties pledged to enhance media and communication cooperation. “While the seminar is now over, our exchanges and cooperation will not end here,” Mr. Liu said. “Distance means so little when someone means so much.
The Sierra Leonean team will take home new insights, broader views and a determination to practice new knowledge and experiences to reinforce media development in Sierra Leone and deepen the parties’ bilateral relations with China.
