DRM Africa Newsletter – December 2025

Dear Friends, Colleagues and Partners,

Welcome to the second and final Africa newsletter for this year. 

Announced at IBC 2025, the quarterly African newsletter sees its second edition which includes more updates and announcements from the Consortium, alongside inspiring stories and insights from across the region.

Digital Radio Mondiale – DRM – is made for Africa with its many big countries, and smaller ones, and with a lot of rural communities that need and deserve the same services as the listeners in the big cities.  

The newsletter stays as a strong invitation to all those interested to learn more about DRM and share their news so that digital radio can become reality and bring its good audio and many digital benefits to the millions of avid African listeners. 

Please send us your news, opinions, projects and questions to projectoffice@drm.org and we will make sure that the next edition will include your name and capture your communication, if relevant to your country or your region.

The African DRM Newsletter is a news and learning exchange that can benefit anyone in Africa or in the DRM Consortium as digital radio can enhance or save lives and no African citizen can be left behind or can miss this new and empowering technology!

Finally, please do not forget to follow and subscribe to all our LinkedIn, X, YouTube and Instagram channels.

And if you’d like more information about joining the Consortium, so you are fully involved with our work and have access to specialist experts and more information, please contact projectoffice@drm.org.

Ruxandra Obreja

DRM Chairman

Latest News

DRM License for FM Demonstrations in South Africa Secured

The DRM South Africa Group has reached a major milestone in its digital radio journey with the approval of its DRM in FM demonstration licence, issued by ICASA in November 2025. The demonstration will focus on showcasing DRM’s advanced capabilities, including Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF), distance learning through Journaline, multi-channel broadcasting on a single FM transmitter, and significant energy-efficiency gains.

📄 DRM License for FM Demonstrations in South Africa Secured

DRM and Edutab Africa open new pathways for digital education in Africa

The DRM Consortium and Edutab Africa are joining forces to unlock innovative pathways for inclusive learning, harnessing digital radio technology to reach students and communities across the continent.

Edutab Africa and DRM Open New Pathways for Digital Education in Africa.

Representatives from EduTab Africa and the DRM team at eLearning Africa 2025.

👍 Read and like the post on LinkedIn

DRM South Africa Group Organises its First DRM webinar 

To explore the progress and potential of Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) in South Africa and the Southern African region, the DRM South Africa Group in Johannesburg organised its first DRM Southern Africa Webinar on October 22. The event brought together broadcasters, industry experts, and technology partners to discuss the progress and potential of DRM in the region. One of the more exciting elements was the live polling of participants and their responses to DRM. 

📄 First DRM Webinar Successfully Organised by the DRM South Africa Group

👍 Read and like the post on LinkedIn

Unlocking Africa’s Early Learning Potential

Across the continent, millions of children face barriers to quality early education—but a new wave of African philanthropists is stepping up to change that trajectory. Read Semafor’s in-depth story on how local philanthropy is reshaping early learning in Africa.

📄 Read more on Semafor.com

🔗 View: African philanthropists can turn around the continent’s early learning challenge

DRM Emergency Warning for African Small Island Developing States (SIDS) 

Following a recent meeting with UNESCO representatives in Paris, the Digital Radion Mondiale Consortium has presented the disasters warning solution provided by the DRM digital radio standard at a regional UNESCO sponsored workshop on climate change in Port Louis, Mauritius, October 27-29. 

📄 Read more on news.drm.org

👍 Read and like the post on LinkedIn

DRM: A Lifeline for the Global South

In a post on LinkedIn, Roman Afroz Butt argues that Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) is a game-changer: reaching millions in remote areas, delivering instant emergency alerts when mobile networks fail, and powering remote learning with always-available text lessons. With successful trials in South Africa, he urges governments to scale DRM to protect, connect, and empower communities across the Global South.

👍 Read the post on LinkedIn

 Voice of Nigeria Revives German Service, Strengthening International Broadcasting Links with Deutsche Welle

Voice of Nigeria has revived its German-language service, deepening collaboration with Deutsche Welle and reinforcing cultural and media exchange. Read more about this renewed partnership.