BBC Moves One of Its Chief Radio Stations’ Entire Production to Nairobi

With the opening of its Nairobi bureau in 1998, BBC World Service became the first international broadcaster to establish a news production bureau in Africa. In 2006, Amka na BBC was relocated from London to Nairobi, and BBC World Service became the first international broadcaster to produce and present radio programmes from the continent.

The BBC achieved another milestone last year when it launched TV news programmes dedicated to its African audiences – Focus On Africa and Dira ya Dunia. The BBC became the only international broadcaster with a daily TV programme in Kiswahili.

And now, Director of BBC Global News, Peter Horrocks, will be in Nairobi to announce plans by BBC World Service to move the entire radio and online production of BBC Swahili service to East Africa.

Production of BBC Swahili’s morning programme, Amka na BBC, will relocate to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania while the afternoon flagship programme, Dira ya Dunia, moves to Nairobi. Online production of the website bbcswahili.com will be shared between the two cities.

While in Nairobi, Peter Horrocks will meet with editors of Kenya’s leading media companies and join the panel of BBC World Service’s global radio programme, BBC Africa Debate, to discuss how well international broadcasters are keeping pace with changing African audiences and African media. 

[BBC]