Burkina Faso hosts workshop to validate plans for Sahel States Alliance (AES) Radio
Ouagadougou, April 22, 2025 – Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Communication, Culture, Arts, and Tourism held a two-day workshop to finalize plans for the creation of a Sahel States Alliance (AES) radio station. This initiative reflects the shared commitment of member states—Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—to pool their information and communication resources within the AES framework.
Over 48 hours, experts from the three nations worked on a detailed roadmap to establish this joint media platform. Christian Sy Ouattara, representing Burkina Faso’s communication Minister, emphasized the project’s symbolic and strategic importance, noting that a Burkinabe task force had been developing the concept for months.
“This radio station embodies our commitment to strengthening media sovereignty against dominant external narratives,” Ouattara stated.
The future radio station has a dual mission:
- Providing high-quality, locally relevant news
- Empowering citizens with a deeper understanding of regional issues
“We aim to ensure every citizen—urban or rural—has access to reliable information while encouraging active participation in the AES’s development,” he explained.
In a region facing security and political challenges, the station will serve as an educational and awareness-raising tool, celebrating the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Sahel.
“This radio will reflect our shared identities—a platform where all voices can be heard. It will strengthen our unity and promote social cohesion,” Ouattara added.
The project addresses an urgent need to reshape the Sahel’s media landscape, offering an endogenous alternative to foreign-dominated content. As a tool for collective identity and information autonomy, it seeks to reinforce solidarity among AES nations.
This workshop marks a critical step toward launching a media initiative that could redefine regional news dissemination, ensuring local priorities remain at the heart of public discourse.
Papa IBRAHIMA
