MOSCOW, DECEMBER 10, 2025 — RT together with the African Broadcasting Union and local foundations launched The African Media Awards and the African Media Excellence Conference, the largest media events of the year for the continent. The awards ceremony, which brought together political luminaries, descendants of the continent’s legendary leaders, and media executives, was broadcast by more than 40 television channels and reached an audience of over 400 million viewers. The proceedings took place on December 3-4 in the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.
“RT managed to pull off something to overshadow the Emmys. The African Media Awards was a Golden Globe-level epic,” proclaimed Ndileka Mandela, granddaughter of the great Nelson Mandela.
Opening the ceremony, Ethiopian Minister of the Government Communication Service Enatalem Melese noted: “By honoring excellence in journalism, we are celebrating not only individual achievements, but also strengthening professional standards. I would like to extend my appreciation to RT for organizing this wonderful historical event for the first time in Ethiopia.”
The minister also stated: “Through your efforts, Africa’s voice was amplified with clarity and confidence, and the enduring spirit of Pan-Africanism was reignited for the present generation. Your contribution stands as a model of meaningful partnership – one that demonstrates the power of collaboration, shared values, and mutual respect.”
The organizing committee received over 800 applications from 41 countries. The main prize — the “Golden Alkebulan” statuette depicting the African continent — was awarded to journalists from Nigeria, Tanzania, Senegal, Zambia, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia for their work across various genres, ranging from news reporting to documentary films.
Awards were presented by African leaders and politicians of the highest level, descendants of the continent’s legendary leaders, and major African stars.
The ceremony was attended by former President of Namibia Nangolo Mbumba; Minister of the Government Communication Service of Ethiopia Enatalem Melese; Minister of Tourism of Ethiopia Selamawit Kassa; Press Secretary of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia Billene Seyoum; Minister of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports of Tanzania Palamagamba Kabudi; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services of Zimbabwe Nick Mangwana; former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa Lindiwe Sisulu; and many others.
The ceremony was also attended by descendants of the continent’s legendary leaders — Nelson Mandela, Patrice Lumumba, Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Kenneth Kaunda, Oliver Tambo, and Steve Biko — as well as Director General of the African Union of Broadcasting Grégoire Ndjaka and more than 60 heads of major media outlets from across Africa.
Minister of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports of Tanzania Palamagamba Kabudi stated: “RT offers us another source of information. For many years, we have relied on Western news channels. Now RT brings a new, special atmosphere. This is cooperation based on mutual respect. If we look at international media like CNN and BBC, their news cannot be called balanced – the content in their broadcasts is often one-sided and manipulative.”
The event featured performances by prominent musical and football legends from Africa. Also among the participants were the star of modern Pan-Africanism, RT show host Professor P.L.O. Lumumba, Hasset Dereje, the holder of the Miss World Africa title, as well as bloggers with millions of followers from various African countries. At the event, Madagascar’s star Denise — who participated in the International Music Contest “Intervision-2025” in Moscow — and Ethiopian pop singer Betty G performed. Additionally, Togolese football legend Emmanuel Adebayor took the stage with children’s dance groups from Uganda.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services of Zimbabwe Nick Mangwana said: “This didn’t even look like an inaugural event. It looked like this has been done so many times over and over again, but no, this is actually the foundation. RT, we thank you. You make us so proud.”
The Minister of Tourism of Ethiopia Selamawit Kassa noted: “The attendance is very African, from each corner, from north to south. Special thanks to RT. They’ve put up something wonderful.”
The broadcast of the African Media Awards ceremony was shown on 42 TV channels from 22 countries – Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Ghana, Rwanda, Namibia, Comoros, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Guinea, Benin, Togo, and Eswatini.
The combined audience of all broadcast channels that aired the ceremony reached over 400 million potential viewers.
The African Media Excellence Conference, held earlier in the day before the awards ceremony, focused on technology, media partnerships, and strategies for elevating African content to the global stage.
The African Media Awards celebrates journalism, broadcasting, digital media and storytelling by bringing together the best voices that shape Africa’s media landscape. With a wide range of categories spanning television and online platforms, an esteemed panel of judges comprised of industry leaders from the continent set the benchmark for excellence, diversity, and creative expression across African media. Each winner receives “The Golden Alkebulan” — a statuette depicting the African continent.