France, Oct. 1 -- France Medias Monde - parent company to RFI and TV station France 24 - has launched a new digital news channel: ZOA. Focused on feature-style stories, the platform targets a young African audience, and was built by young African journalists. Meet RFI's new little sister.

The fledgling newsroom's open-plan office sits within the new France Medias Monde (FMM) hub in the Senegalese capital of Dakar. An image of Blessing-Bili, a young singer from Congo-Brazzaville, looms large on one of its walls.

Cecile Goudou, ZOA's deputy editor, is scrutinising subtitles, hunting for the slightest flaw. "I sometimes watch a video up to 10 times," she laughs.

Although ZOA has only been posting content for a fortnight, its most popular ...