BBC World Service to axe 15 posts in London as African operation moves

'Significant' part of World Service's BBC Afrique operation will move to Dakar in Senegal, where 18 jobs will be created

• Leigh Holmwood
• guardian.co.uk, Friday 15 May 2009 12.11 BST
• Article history

The BBC World Service is to close 15 posts in London as part of a shift of its French-language production operation to Africa in a further bid to cut costs.

In one of the first moves by the new director of the World Service, Peter Horrocks, a "significant" part of BBC Afrique – the specialist French-language service for Africa – will move to Dakar in Senegal. About 18 posts will be created to staff a new office equipped with modern studios and transmission facilities.

Horrocks told World Service staff yesterday in an email seen by MediaGuardian.co.uk that the change would allow the BBC Afrique service to increase its output from four to five hours a day and to "hit vital peak audience times throughout francophone Africa and to modernise and restructure our programme schedule".

The shift is part of an ongoing cost-cutting effort in the World Service and risks provoking further industrial action from broadcasting unions.

Strike action was narrowly averted earlier this year over plans for redundancies and the relocation of jobs and programme-making overseas in the World Service's South Asia section, after management agreed there would be no compulsory cuts in the London operation.

Similar changes have also been undertaken in BBC Hausa and BBC Swahili, which Horrocks said had "delivered significant audience growth for both services".

Horrocks added that "all reasonable steps" would be taken to ensure the redundancy process was "achieved in a voluntary manner". The changes are expected to come into effect from the beginning of December.

"Production effort in London will be reduced, but the team in London will continue to produce live output and ensure a crucial editorial link to the rest of the BBC," he said.

"The move will also enable the service to achieve efficiency savings which are required for all BBC departments, within the context of the difficult financial backdrop which affects many companies worldwide, including the BBC.

"We believe these changes will strengthen our presence in Africa, will raise the quality of our output and will put the future of BBC Afrique on a more secure footing, to the benefit of our audience throughout francophone Africa." 

A BBC World Service spokesman said: "We believe the proposals – to increase our presence in the heart of this fast-emerging media market – will create new opportunities for staff and greatly improve our service to our audiences in the region."

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