Guinean newspapers and Conakry media online

Guinea's press is written in French and lives mostly online, with Guinéenews, Guineematin, Africaguinee and Mediaguinee, the state daily Horoya, the Agence guinéenne de presse and RTG, alongside private radio stations that also broadcast in Pular, Malinké and Soussou.

From Sékou Touré's monopoly to the opening of the 1990s

After independence on 2 October 1958, the regime of Sékou Touré entrusted news to state media alone, including the daily Horoya. A private press only emerged in the early 1990s, notably with the satirical weekly Le Lynx, launched in 1992.

Horoya, the official voice of Conakry

Horoya, whose name evokes dignity in Malinké, remains the government newspaper of record for decrees, appointments and official speeches. Reading it shows the position of the transitional authorities, and it should be complemented by private websites for other points of view.

French in print, national languages on air

French remains the language of the written press and of news websites. On radio, Pular dominates in Middle Guinea around Labé, Malinké in Upper Guinea towards Kankan and Soussou in Lower Guinea, from Conakry to Kindia, which shapes station schedules.

What is happening in Kankan, Labé or N'Zérékoré?

Regional news circulates through rural and community radio stations, RTG's local branches and the correspondents of Conakry-based websites. Guineematin and Guinéenews regularly publish reports from Kankan, Labé, Boké or N'Zérékoré on roads, mining and local life across the country.

Guinéenews, Guineematin, Guinee360: news goes through the web

With no large private dailies, news websites carry most of Guinea's press. Guinéenews is among the oldest, Guineematin publishes around the clock and Guinee360 stands out for analysis, while Africaguinee, Mediaguinee, Guinee7 and Vision Guinée also distribute heavily on Facebook.

The Agence guinéenne de presse, the government wire

The Agence guinéenne de presse, or AGP, publishes government statements, cabinet meetings and prefecture activities in French. Its reports reveal the official agenda, but they are best compared with the reporting of independent websites based in Conakry before drawing conclusions.

RTG and private stations: listening to Guinea

Radiodiffusion Télévision Guinéenne, the public broadcaster, airs news and programmes in French and in national languages. Since the airwaves were liberalised in the mid-2000s, private Conakry stations have taken a major role in political debate, despite recent closures.

The Guinean diaspora, from Paris to Dakar

The large diaspora in France, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and the United States follows the country through Conakry websites and their Facebook pages. For the neighbours, see the Senegalese press online and the newspapers of English-speaking Liberia.

Bauxite, Simandou and the Syli national: economy and sport

Economic news revolves around mining: bauxite in Boké, iron ore at Simandou and gold in Siguiri. Africaguinee and Mediaguinee run well-followed sections on these topics. In sport, general sites cover the Syli national, the Guinean league and the clubs Horoya AC and Hafia FC.

A tense media environment since 2021

Since the September 2021 coup, the Haute Autorité de la communication and the transitional government have kept the media under tight control. In 2024, several private radio and television stations lost their licences, and journalists' organisations denounced arrests and disappearances of colleagues.

Free access, social media and verification

Guinean websites are free and funded by advertising. Since much news circulates on Facebook and WhatsApp, always compare two Conakry sites with an international outlet, and check the press of neighbouring Mali for stories that cross the border between the two countries.

Guinea within French-speaking Africa

Together with Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Mali, Guinea belongs to the French-speaking bloc of West Africa, whose media readily quote one another. The overview of African newspapers lets you widen your reading to the whole subregion, Sierra Leone included.

Following Guinea's news from abroad

1. Pick two Conakry news websites, for example Guinéenews and Guineematin, to cover most of the day's news.
2. Add Horoya and the AGP to keep track of official decisions, decrees and appointments by the transitional government.
3. Follow the Facebook pages of Guinean news sites, which are often updated faster than the sites themselves.
4. Listen to RTG or a private station online to hear debates in French and in the national languages.
5. Compare an official outlet with an independent website before reaching conclusions on a sensitive political issue.
6. Check the date, author and location of every video shared on WhatsApp, especially during protests in Conakry.

Access and subscriptions for Guinean news

Useful facts about Guinea's media

• Press language: French; radio also in Pular, Malinké and Soussou
• News agency: Agence guinéenne de presse (AGP)
• Public broadcaster: Radiodiffusion Télévision Guinéenne (RTG)
• Official daily: Horoya; most followed sites: Guinéenews, Guineematin
• Regulator: Haute Autorité de la communication (HAC)
• Time zone: GMT (UTC+0), like Dakar and Abidjan
• Local currency: Guinean franc (GNF)

Mistakes to avoid when reading the Guinean press

• Trusting a Facebook page that copies the logo of a well-known Conakry site without checking that it is the outlet's official account.
• Taking an article from the satirical Le Lynx literally, when the weekly deals in irony and political caricature.
• Reading Horoya and the AGP as neutral sources when they primarily relay the transitional government's communication.
• Sharing an old protest video as if it were from today, a frequent mistake during political tension in Conakry.
• Confusing Guinea with Guinea-Bissau or Equatorial Guinea, three separate countries with very different presses.

Common questions about Guinean media