Rivalry between two global superpowers spills into the media as East meets West head-on in a clash of narratives to win over the continent
4-MIN READ4-MIN ListenDulue MbachuPublished: 6:00pm, 12 Apr 2026The world’s two superpowers are waging an information war to influence the minds of Africa’s young and media-savvy demographic, with articles pitched by the United States and China designed to show each other in an unflattering light.On March 31, Africa Defence Forum magazine, a publication of the US Army’s Africa Command, ran an article called: “China’s floating fish factories plunder Guinea Bissau’s resources”.
Meanwhile, over on the website of China Global Television Network’s (CGTN) Africa service was the headline: “Mahama warns of global impact of US ‘erasure’ of Black history”.
It was a story about President John Mahama of Ghana condemning the US for trying to erase its record of enslavement and exploitation of people of African descent.
