Agribusiness TV: a media outlet for agriculture

This week, we have an interview with Inoussa Maïga, editorial director of Agri Business TV.

Inoussa Maïga is a 32-year-old from Burkina Faso. In 2016, he launched Agri Business TV, the internet TV station of which he is now editorial director. He holds a Masters qualification in development communication and another in media management.

Promoting success amongst young farming entrepreneurs

Agribusiness TV is an internet TV station focusing on promoting innovation AgriBusiness TV wants to de-construct the image people have of farming, so we have to use the same channel.and success amongst young farming entrepreneurs in Africa. Designed for mobile devices, Agribusiness TV is anxious to showcase a different image of agriculture in Africa. There are many preconceived ideas concerning farming, including that it is behind the times and at the whim of changes in the weather. "AgriBusiness TV sees itself as responding to the negative perceptions held by young Africans in the agricultural sector. It aims to demonstrate to them, by means of specific examples, that it is possible to be innovative in this sector and to make a living from it", Inoussa tells us.
Using videos to do this is not a random choice: "We wants to de-construct the image people have of farming, so we have to use the same channel. We realised that there were very few good-quality videos dealing with agriculture that were produced by Africans", he continues.

Inoussa Maïga, editorial director of Agri Business TV.

A resolutely digital media outlet

Agri Business TV targets Africans up to the age of 30, who have a certain level of education and who use social media to keep up-to-date with current affairs and to communicate, especially via the mobile internet. This trend is the driving force behind the channel's commitment to developing its digital presence. In addition to the website, there is an Android and iOS mobile app in French and English that is free to access and download. "We are also on Youtube and Dailymotion, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin", explains Inoussa.
The videos are broadcast in native mode on social media because, for the founder, " people are accessing websites less and less".

The internet TV station has progressively become a benchmark and a motivational source for many people with an interest in agriculture. It has over 160,000 followers on Facebook and around 12,000 subscribers to its YouTube channel. According to Inoussa, the media outlet's objective is to produce quality content: " Our business is not presenting the latest news. We produce cold content. A video we broadcast today will very often have been shot a month before. A good video is, first and foremost, good subject matter skilfully shot, with top-quality images and sound, plus full subtitling. It should run for less than 5 minutes" Before filming begins, the subject matter first has to be properly defined. Next, images are assessed, the screenplay is written and then comes editing. The process is completed by the whole team viewing the finished product prior to broadcasting.

AgriBusiness TV's offices are in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, in the 1200 Logements district. Five permanent staff work at the headquarters. The team comprises a correspondent network of 14 freelance journalists in 12 countries. There is also an audiovisual editor and a cameraman. The team uses Canon SLR equipment and iPhones to capture images.

A cost-efficient model based on content monetisation

The AgriBusiness TV videos earn revenue via the YouTube platform. "In 2016, we took part in the CFI Innovate Africa – Entrepreneurs programme. That helped us to consolidate our economic model", the editorial director tells us. The company also offers services such as video production. Its main problem is accessing the internet: "Connections here are expensive and unstable. We have to make several attempts to download videos", he says.

In Inoussa Maïga's opinion, being a journalist is " not without its problems in Burkina Faso, but it is a relatively well-respected profession. It must, however, continually update itself if it is to keep abreast of all the social, economic, political and technological changes that are taking place". He is pleased that there is a degree of press freedom in Burkina Faso, but concludes that "the media have to demonstrate professionalism in order to merit that freedom".

AgriBusiness TV is currently working on new formats, in particular a televised magazine to be broadcast by partner TV stations and funded by advertisers.