The Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace, has reaffirmed the organisation’s unwavering commitment to deepening its Swahili broadcast and strengthening international media partnerships, particularly with the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC).
This assurance was given when the Tanzanian High Commissioner to Nigeria, His Excellency Selestine Gervas Kakele, paid a courtesy visit to the VON Corporate Headquarters in Abuja.
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Welcoming the envoy and his delegation, Mallam Ndace described the visit as a reaffirmation of the longstanding fraternal ties between Nigeria and Tanzania.
He noted that Voice of Nigeria, as Nigeria’s official international broadcasting service, remains committed to promoting African narratives and languages, with Swahili being one of its core broadcast languages.
“We are honoured to receive Your Excellency here at Voice of Nigeria. This visit reinforces the strong and growing diplomatic and media relationship between our two countries,” the DG said.
“We are particularly proud of our Swahili Service, which continues to serve as a bridge between Nigeria and the East African region.”
Speaking on the cooperation between VON and TBC, the Director General noted that both institutions have developed a robust partnership built on mutual respect, professionalism, and a shared commitment to amplifying African voices.
He recalled his visit to TBC headquarters in Tanzania, a reciprocal leg of the earlier visit by Dr Ayub Rioba, Director General of TBC, to Nigeria.
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Highlighting the achievements of the VON–TBC staff exchange programme, Mallam Ndace commended Mr Ramadhan Mpenda of TBC for his outstanding contribution during his time at the Swahili Service of VON.
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He also noted that a senior VON reporter will be dispatched to Tanzania as part of the ongoing exchange programme, which he described as a key component of institutional learning and cultural diplomacy.
The Director General further assured the High Commissioner of VON’s participation in the upcoming Kiswahili Day Celebration, scheduled for 7th July, in collaboration with the Tanzanian High Commission as well as and UNESCO.
He described the event as “a must-attend for any broadcaster serious about linguistic diversity and African cultural expression.”
In his remarks, H.E. Kakele expressed appreciation to the VON leadership for the warm reception and affirmed Tanzania’s commitment to sustaining and expanding media cooperation between both countries.
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He applauded Voice of Nigeria for its continued use of Kiswahili in its broadcasts, stating that the exchange of reporters between TBC and VON has strengthened professional ties and enhanced the flow of content between the two national broadcasters.
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“Nigeria and Tanzania have always been partners in Africa’s development. I am pleased with the progress being made in the area of public broadcasting. The partnership between VON and TBC is a great example of South–South cooperation in action,” he said.
The visit concluded with mutual assurances of continued collaboration and a shared vision of telling Africa’s stories in African voices.