Voice of Nigeria, VON, has begun Mandarin-language broadcasting, making it the ninth language on its international broadcasting service.
The 30-minute programme airs every Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., with a repeat broadcast every Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
The programme is structured in two segments, with the first 15 minutes devoted to Mandarin language teaching and the remaining 15 minutes to news and current affairs.
Read Also:
The new service brings Mandarin into VON’s existing portfolio of eight broadcast languages—English, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Fulfulde, Kiswahili, French and Arabic.
VON had earlier announced plans to introduce Mandarin as part of efforts to expand its international broadcasting reach and strengthen engagement with Chinese-speaking audiences.
Voice of Nigeria has commenced broadcast in Mandarin, expanding its international-language programming.
The 30-minute weekly programme airs every Wednesday from 5:30pm to 6:00pm, with a repeat on Saturdays from 11:30am to 12:00pm.
It features 15 minutes of Mandarin language… pic.twitter.com/ZcpYekNN5d
— Voice of Nigeria (@voiceofnigeria) September 8, 2026
VON Director-General Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace said “adding Mandarin would create opportunities for greater media collaboration between Nigeria and China and enable the broadcaster to share Nigerian and African stories with Chinese-speaking audiences.”
The Mandarin service follows a collaboration between VON and the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria on a Chinese Language and Cultural Teaching Programme, which was formally launched in May 2026.
The partnership aims to promote cultural exchange, media cooperation, and mutual understanding between Nigeria and China, while the new broadcast provides a platform to combine language learning with news and current affairs.
With the commencement of the Mandarin service, VON has expanded its multilingual broadcasting offering and strengthened its capacity to deliver Nigerian and African perspectives to a wider international audience.
