Burkina Faso’s Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo has urged African countries to strengthen their control over the production and dissemination of information.
Speaking in Ouagadougou on Wednesday, Ouédraogo said African countries should be able to tell their own stories, explain their policies and defend their interests through locally produced content.
He described control of information as an important element of national sovereignty and warned that reliance on external narratives could leave societies vulnerable to influence.
His remarks came during the 15th African Universities of Communication, which is focused on disinformation, communication warfare and the challenges facing information professionals.
Bassolma Bazié, head of the Confederation of Sahel States’ national commission, accused unnamed actors of using information to discredit the bloc, while Burkina Faso’s communication minister called for credible and responsible communication.
