Seychelles Hosts Southern Africa Broadcasters Convention

The 10th Southern Africa Broadcasters Convention (SABA) commenced on October 22 at the Avani Barbarons Seychelles Resort, co-convened by the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), the Southern Africa Broadcasting Association (SABA), and Broadcast Media Africa. Seychelles Vice-President Sebastien Pillay, overseeing Information and Communications Technology, opened the convention, highlighting common challenges faced by broadcasters in audience engagement, technology, and trust.

He urged for enhanced cooperation among African broadcasters to share skills and content, particularly benefiting smaller nations like Seychelles. SBC Chief Executive Bérard Duprès addressed the need for broadcasters to adapt to changing audience habits, mentioning the introduction of the SBC Plus radio app and Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT).

He stressed the importance of maintaining control over storytelling despite advancements in AI. Mlamuli Dlamini, Chief Executive of Eswatini TV, represented SABA, advocating for technological changes to be guided by human creativity and editorial responsibility.

Media executives from various African regions, including representatives from Voice of Nigeria and Tanzanian Broadcasting Corporation, attended the convention.