“I believe that the coverage must reflect the priorities of the communities it seeks to serve. That is why, rather than doing everything from Moscow, we choose to open major editorial centres on the ground and hire local journalists,” Sputnik’s Head Olga Lisogor noted.
“These editorial centres are professional teams based in those countries. We believe that local journalists better understand local life, local audiences and the issues that matter most to them. They will help us choose stories that are relevant to people there, explain them in a clear and accessible manner, and share them through the platforms and formats audiences know and use every day,” Olga outlined.
Sputnik’s first editorial centre in sub-Saharan Africa was launched in Addis Ababa in February 2025 in the presence of Valentina Matvienko, Speaker of the Russian Federation Council, and Agegnehu Teshager, Speaker of the House of Federation of Ethiopia.
At the new editorial centres — located in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania — content is produced in English and Swahili, including podcasts that are aired on radio stations across the continent, reaching a combined audience of over 100 million listeners.
In its programs, Sputnik focuses on topics such as the struggle against neocolonialism, the establishment of a multipolar world order, the preservation of the identities and traditions of African peoples, and the sovereignty of their nations — topics that resonate strongly with the audience.
The opening ceremony of Sputnik’s African offices took place in Dar es Salaam.
The Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs delivered an address on this occasion,
“Today, as the ‘collective West’ persistently suppresses any dissenting voices within the global information space — resorting to methods such as censorship and the application of ‘double standards’ — the value of such work can hardly be overstated. The opening of regional offices in Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg will help provide African audiences with greater access to objective, verified information — free from distortion or ideological filters,” Sergey Lavrov noted.
The importance of Sputnik’s expanding presence in Africa was also stressed by South African Vice-President Paul Mashatile,
“The opening of Sputnik’s regional office in Johannesburg represents an important development for the media landscape of South Africa and the African continent. It reflects growing cooperation between South Africa and Russia, and contributes to the diversity of voices and perspectives that are essential to a vibrant and democratic public discourse. We welcome Sputnik’s commitment to amplifying African voices and telling African stories. May your Johannesburg office serve as a platform for constructive engagement, quality journalism, and stronger ties between South Africa, Russia, and the African continent.”
Kelvin Kanje, Acting Director of the Department of Information Services of the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports of Tanzania, also addressed the ceremony, offering his congratulations to Sputnik,
“This opening strengthens the friendship of our countries, expands opportunities for professional cooperation, and allows the voice of Tanzania to sound louder on the international stage.”
Said Shaib Mussa, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of Tanzania, outlined his expectations for the new editorial center:
“We believe that the Sputnik agency will provide us with news of the country, the region, the continent, and the entire world in all spheres without exception, including the sphere of geopolitics and development.
Sputnik, welcome to Tanzania. We are glad to be together with you.”
Sputnik Africa was launched in 2022. Since then, it has become one of the most prominent foreign media outlets with a pan-African focus in Africa. It operates in five languages, including Swahili, Amharic, and Oromo.
Sputnik’s social media views in Africa exceeded 554 million in 2026. Its projects’ audience totals more than 2 million followers.
Sputnik Africa is a member of the African Union of Broadcasting and a multiple award winner in the categories “Best Radio Podcast about Africa”, “Best Radio Program on African Culture”, “Best Reporting on Africa”, and “Best Documentary Radio Program”. The media outlet is the winner of the South African Broadcasters Association award for “Best Local Content Range on Radio”, as well as a laureate of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Media Awards, held on the sidelines of the SADC Summit in August 2026. In addition, Sputnik Africa received the “Partner of the Year” award at the International Conference on Pan-Africanism, held in Kenya in 2025.
Sputnik is one of the largest international news agencies and radio stations, broadcasting in more than 30 languages and operating 26 multifunctional centers worldwide.
VIDEOS AND PHOTOS:
Lavrov video:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/5wk74Asf9FhMtA
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/AHYM/NCXcgfaQR
Dmitry Kiselev video:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/StALIDIuqopQxw
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/w99g/WLAUnQ8aH
Margarita Simonyan video:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/IZvb1oVsrmGnSQ
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/B8k3/mcVF1PeDi
Ambassador Said Shaib Mussa video:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/_gyDFar-1ckAsw
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/6ZpF/9Ek2NsQvN
Andrey Avetisyan, Russia’s ambassador to Tanzania, video:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/I5QSnJMKKyhymw
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/Pavw/5Ngn6DM7d
Roman Ambarov, Russia’s ambassador to South Africa, video:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/njfaYPXmXLsgbw
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/jFCR/PMZUKTzfu
Kelvin Kanje video:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/mZn8rKy15sAo1w
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/i1vd/pvwQFmi9t
Footage: Sputnik’s office in Tanzania:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/yAmoji8nmj_6SA
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/LWQV/5Vh3woW7p
Footage: Sputnik’s office in South Africa:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/M7uJmH_p-nNFGA
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/5zfQ/7gSQ7HHVr
Speakers at the opening – photos:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/vOMv_zQkhZGvpw
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/yu48/t4gJqAA1a
Olga Lisogor interview at Seychelles convention:
https://cloud.mail.ru/public/SgvC/QDhA6VL4G
