Africa-Press – Liberia. For the first time in its 20-year history, the African Union of Broadcasting is using its anniversary not to celebrate, but to fight.
More than 1,000 media executives, ministers, and tech leaders from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America have descended on Banjul for the AUB’s 17th General Assembly. Their target: a sports broadcasting market that AUB Director General Grégoire Ndjaka says is rigged by “mercantilist abuses” and “unmanageable” fees that lock African audiences out of their own games.
“The current pricing model is becoming unmanageable for many broadcasters, both public and private,” Ndjaka told the packed summit, running April 14-17 under the theme _“AUB, 20 Years Serving African Media: Heritage, Innovation and Transformation”_. With sports confederations now in the room, the AUB is demanding new frameworks that let African networks air major tournaments without bankrupting themselves.
The standoff comes as the Union marks two decades of growth. What started as a continental alliance now unites 85 public and private TV and radio broadcasters and draws global clout. The Gambia’s Minister of Information, Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, is chairing the high-stakes talks.
But sports rights are just one front. Delegates are also blueprinting new funding models for an industry squeezed by digital disruption. Panels are dissecting “rapid technological transformations” and “new consumption patterns” that have upended advertising and forced broadcasters to innovate or die.
“The AUB considers it essential to promote a space for dialogue that values the heritage of African broadcasters, stimulates innovation, and strengthens institutional transformation,” the Union said in a statement.
The four-day Assembly will close with the AUB Media Awards Gala, honoring the continent’s top audiovisual professionals. The gala doubles as a fundraiser for the AUB Foundation Against Cancer (AFAC), which uses media platforms to drive cancer awareness and prevention.
Final resolutions on sports rights, funding, and digital cooperation are expected as sessions wrap on April 17. With 85 broadcasters and 1,000+ delegates behind it, the AUB’s next move could reset the economics of African broadcasting — and decide who gets to watch the next World Cup.
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