Africa's press: daily papers, radio and digital media

Africa's online press combines long-established dailies such as Le Soleil, the Daily Graphic and the Daily Nation, digital outlets like Daily Maverick, hugely popular radio and national agencies, published mainly in French, English, Portuguese and Arabic and read mostly on mobile phones.

From colonial gazettes to independence papers

The first newspapers appeared in the nineteenth century in Freetown, Lagos and Cape Town. After 1960, many states created a national daily, such as Le Soleil in Dakar in 1970 or Cameroon Tribune in Yaoundé in 1974, often close to those in power.

Major state and private titles

In Kenya, the Daily Nation belongs to the private Nation Media Group, while in Ghana the Daily Graphic is state-owned. In Nigeria, The Punch, the Nigerian Guardian and Vanguard illustrate a plentiful private press that is often critical.

How many publishing languages?

The written press mainly uses languages inherited from colonisation: French, English and Portuguese, plus Arabic in the north. Swahili, Hausa, Amharic and Wolof, by contrast, dominate on radio, where they reach a far wider audience.

French-speaking Africa and its capitals

Dakar, Abidjan, Bamako and Yaoundé are home to most French-language newsrooms, with Fraternité Matin in Côte d'Ivoire and L'Essor in Mali. The guide to the Senegalese press shows the energy of a country where news sites have multiplied.

Mobile, the first screen for news

In many countries, news is read first on a smartphone, through WhatsApp, Facebook or apps. Daily Maverick in South Africa, Premium Times in Nigeria and Africanews, launched in Pointe-Noire in 2016, were designed for this digital readership.

National and pan-African agencies

Almost every state has a public agency: APS in Senegal, NAN in Nigeria, KNA in Kenya, ACP in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The private agency APA, based in Dakar, also distributes regional dispatches in French and English.

Public radio and television

The SABC in South Africa, NTA in Nigeria, RTS in Senegal and KBC in Kenya stream live online. RFI and BBC Africa, both widely followed, also offer programmes in Hausa, Swahili, Mandenkan and Fulfulde.

Jeune Afrique and the diaspora press

Founded in Tunis in 1960 and later based in Paris, Jeune Afrique remains a benchmark for political and economic news across the continent. The Africa Report, in English, and many sites run from Paris, London or Brussels round out the offer.

Business, commodities and football

Business Day in South Africa, BusinessDay in Nigeria and Business Daily in Kenya track markets, debt and commodities. Football dominates the sports press, especially during the Africa Cup of Nations, held roughly every two years.

What is the press freedom context?

Conditions vary sharply between countries where the private press debates freely and others marked by media suspensions, internet shutdowns or prosecutions of journalists. Each country guide sets out this context in a factual way.

Few paywalls, plenty of free reading

Most African sites remain free and funded by advertising, although the Daily Nation and Business Day offer paid plans. The Kenyan press and the Nigerian press illustrate these models in two major English-speaking markets.

Cross-checking news from Africa

During an election in Kinshasa or Abuja, rumours spread quickly on social media. It is better to compare a national daily, an international station such as RFI and the country's agency, then check whether the author and date are given.

Following Africa from abroad, step by step

1. Choose the country or subregion to follow and open its guide to find a leading daily and an independent site.
2. Listen to RFI Afrique or BBC Africa each morning for a round-up of the continent's news.
3. Add the national agency, for example APS or KNA, to read official government statements.
4. Follow the official WhatsApp or Telegram channels of your chosen outlets, avoiding anonymous groups.
5. Read Jeune Afrique or The Africa Report for continent-wide political and economic analysis.
6. Compare a state outlet and a private title on the same sensitive issue before forming a view.

Access and subscriptions to the African press

Essential facts about African media

• Languages: French, English, Portuguese, Arabic, Swahili, Hausa, Amharic
• Agencies: APS, NAN, KNA, ACP, APA
• Public broadcasters: SABC, NTA, RTS, KBC
• International radio: RFI, BBC Africa, VOA Afrique
• Pan-African titles: Jeune Afrique, The Africa Report, Africanews
• Time zones: from UTC+0 in Dakar to UTC+3 in Nairobi
• Currencies: CFA franc, naira, Kenyan shilling, rand

Common mistakes with news from Africa

• Believing a fake account or clone site that copies a well-known daily's logo, a widespread tactic during election campaigns.
• Confusing a state outlet that relays the government's message with an independent newsroom doing its own reporting.
• Sharing an old video of protests or violence presented as something happening today.
• Forgetting that an internet shutdown can delay local reporting and leave room for rumours to spread.
• Generalising to the whole continent a story that concerns a single country, city or region.

Your questions about the press in Africa