In three days, the people who run broadcasting in this region will be in one room on Mahé. Thirteen national broadcasters. Regulators and communications authorities. Industry associations, commercial groups, community stations, technology partners, and the companies building the infrastructure that will run the next decade. For its 10th edition, the Broadcasters Convention – Southern Africa 2026 has become the continent’s most consequential gathering of broadcast leadership, and this year’s programme is the sharpest we have put together.
Before anything else, our thanks. The convention is hosted by the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation, whose team has carried the weight of preparing this week, and it takes place with the support of the Government of the Republic of Seychelles. A small island state offering to convene a continental industry conversation is not a small thing, and we do not take it lightly.
Thursday opens with remarks from Bérard Duprès, SBC’s Chief Executive, and Menesia Muinjo, President of SABA and Director General of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation, followed by a keynote on media transformation in the age of AI.
The day then turns to the hardest question in public broadcasting: who pays for public-interest broadcasting in the next decade? The rest of Thursday covers the evolving newsroom, the battle for audience attention, 5G broadcasting, and whether our ratings still measure what matters.
Friday raises the stakes. It opens with a question nobody in African broadcasting has been willing to ask out loud: should we bargain collectively with global cloud and AI platforms rather than negotiate one broadcaster at a time? Then we look at Cybersecurity, digital transformation, and AI in content workflows, distribution, and the economics of digital operations.
Then the moment I am most looking forward to. On Friday afternoon, thirteen SABA member broadcasters present country reports on what has actually moved in the twelve months since Victoria Falls. Not plans. Progress, and the places it stalled. No other forum on this continent does that accounting in public, and that’s why this convention matters.
Saturday closes the week at SBC House with the SABA Annual General Assembly and a masterclass on cybersecurity essentials.
None of it happens without our partners. Our thanks to Sputnik, TVU Networks, France 24, Lawo, Axel Technology and WorkflowLabs, DOI, NOUVOBANQ, Absa, Takamaka, SNYC and to the Southern African Broadcasting Association as co-convener.
Partnership of this kind is what allows a gathering like this to stay focused on the industry rather than on the sales floor.
To everyone travelling this week, safe journeys. To those who cannot make it to Mahé, a virtual delegate place is still open, and the sessions come to you. For everyone else, we will be reporting from the room all week.
See you in Seychelles.
Benjamin Pius, CEO, Broadcast Media Africa | Convention Convener
The Broadcasters Convention – Southern Africa 2026 takes place 22–25 October 2026 at Avani+ Barbarons, Mahé, Seychelles. Hosted by the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) and convened by Broadcast Media Africa (BMA) with the Southern African Broadcasting Association (SABA). Register, including virtual attendance: sab-africa.broadcastingandmedia.net
