Sputnik international news agency and radio held its first online SputnikPro session for the School of Journalism and Communication at Addis Ababa University, the oldest institution of higher education in Ethiopia.
During the event, Vasily Pushkov, Director of International Cooperation at Sputnik, delivered a lecture on the current state of global communications and the key principles of the work of an international multimedia outlet. Victoria Budanova, Head of Sputnik Africa, showcased the agency’s cutting-edge AI initiatives, including its multilingual virtual news anchors.
Elias Worku Wordofa, assistant professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, remarked, “It was an eye-opening and insightful lecture from both presenters. Such interventions have the opportunity to balance the dominant narratives in place for so long. We believe that media and information literacy are critical to all communities, including students and the academic community.”
The event was held as part of a lecture series for Russian and international universities titled “The Global Majority and the Challenges of Neocolonialism,” supported by the Gorchakov Fund for Public Diplomacy and the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization “Center for Humanitarian and Educational Initiatives.”
Addis Ababa University (AAU), founded in 1950, is the oldest and largest institution of higher learning and research in Ethiopia. Today, AAU has 10 colleges, 3 institutes that run both teaching and research, and 8 other research institutes that predominantly conduct research.
SputnikPro is an educational initiative designed to provide journalists, press secretaries, bloggers, and students with valuable insights and skills through seminars, lectures, and master classes. Led by top media managers from Russia and beyond, along with experts from the Sputnik agency, the program has been active since 2018. It offers both in-person meetings and online sessions, reaching a wide audience across 24 countries and engaging more than 12,700 participants to date.