French Embassy Marks Close of Rwanda Media Training Program
KIGALI — The French Embassy in Rwanda held a closing ceremony Thursday for a multi-phase training and expertise-exchange program linking the Organisation de la Presse Francophone au Rwanda (OPFR) with the France-based platform Médias et Démocratie.
Supported by French diplomatic funding, the project brought Rwandan journalists together for sessions on professional standards, the integration of artificial intelligence into daily newsroom work, solution-oriented reporting, gender representation in media, and ethical practices. An earlier phase included practical immersion with the Sud-Ouest press group in Bordeaux. Participants and officials, including the director of media at the Rwanda Governance Board, attended the evening event, which featured speeches and a group gathering.
French Ambassador Aurélie Royet-Gounin, who presented her credentials in September 2025, addressed the gathering alongside Olivier Piot, founder and director of Médias et Démocratie. Piot, a longtime Africa-focused journalist, established the platform to facilitate exchanges between European and African media professionals. OPFR, a Rwandan NGO recognized by the Rwanda Governance Board, works to strengthen French-language media and build professional capacity among its members.
The program forms part of broader French-Rwandan cooperation that has expanded since the normalization of bilateral ties following President Emmanuel Macron’s 2021 visit and the Duclert Commission report on France’s role in the events leading to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. French officials have described such media initiatives as contributing to professional development and information quality in the sector.
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