Manny Ita –
Efforts by China to expand its media influence across Africa have yielded limited results, with audiences across the continent continuing to favor established international broadcasters over Chinese state outlets despite years of investment and expansion.
In Nairobi, Kenya, Davis Moroko, who works at a print shop in the leafy suburb of Gigiri, says he regularly follows global news through platforms such as BBC and YouTube. However, he says he has little awareness of Chinese broadcasters operating in the region. “I never watch Chinese media at all,” he said. “I didn’t even know they had a studio here.”
The Chinese government has invested heavily for nearly two decades to establish a significant media presence in Africa. In 2006, the state-run Xinhua News Agency moved its sub-Saharan African headquarters to Nairobi, while China Radio International also expanded operations in the region. In 2012, China’s international television network China Global Television Network opened a major production hub in Nairobi, the same year the English-language newspaper China Daily began publishing an Africa edition from the Kenyan capital.
The expansion included the construction of large studios and the hiring of hundreds of journalists as Beijing sought to shape global narratives and strengthen its soft power on a continent increasingly central to its economic and diplomatic ambitions.
Despite the scale of the investment, audience engagement has remained limited. Surveys across major African media markets show that CGTN commands only single-digit shares of weekly viewership in countries such as Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria. The network continues to trail international broadcasters including BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera, while its social media engagement across the continent has also remained modest.
Analysts attribute the limited reach partly to editorial style. Chinese state media outlets frequently highlight positive stories about China’s development model while criticizing Western democracies and international institutions, a tone some audiences perceive as promotional rather than critical journalism.
The lukewarm reception contrasts with China’s broader engagement across Africa. Over the past two decades, Beijing has significantly expanded diplomatic ties, financed large-scale infrastructure projects and strengthened political relationships across the continent, efforts that have in many cases improved public perceptions of China among African populations.
However, within Chinese media organizations there is increasing recognition that their content has struggled to attract mass audiences across the region. A staff member at CGTN, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said the focus of the broadcaster’s African operations has shifted. “The target is no longer the African public, but the continent’s governments,” the staffer said.
