Voice of Nigeria, VON, and the French Embassy in Nigeria have pledged to strengthen media collaboration and capacity building, to combat misinformation, disinformation, and fake news.
The commitment was made when the Director-General of VON, Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace, accompanied by Directors of the organisation, paid a courtesy visit to the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Marc Fonbaustier, in Abuja, Nigeria.
Mallam Ndace reaffirmed VON’s commitment to expanding its French-language broadcasts one of the eight languages in which the station transmits, stressing that this would not only increase audience reach but also help curb the spread of misinformation.
“For us at the Voice of Nigeria, France is not at the fringes—it is a top priority, and we want to deepen our partnership. We want to ensure closer collaboration with the Embassy in content production and content sharing with public broadcasters in France,” he said.
The DG further emphasised the importance of cooperation in capacity building for media professionals.
In his response, Ambassador Fonbaustier commended VON for its role as a leading voice of democracy and pledged the Embassy’s readiness to strengthen ties with the organization.
“There is no democracy without a media of that caliber and quality. Thank you for coming, and let me assure you that I am extremely receptive to your request for an enhanced partnership with France in the field of media and broadcasting,” the Ambassador stated
Olusola Akintonde