West Africa: Wameca 2024 - Time to Pause for Reflections

After seven consecutive years of hosting West Africa's biggest media gathering, the West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards (WAMECA), the Media Foundation for West… Read more »

West Africa: Senegal's Political Troubles, Nigeria's Cybercrime Law Trigger Massive Repression

In many West African countries, the fight for press freedom and freedom of expression still faces significant obstacles. Governments and powerful individuals use a variety of… Read more »

West Africa: Track Down and Punish Perpetrators of Threats Against Journalist Sekou Pendessa

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) condemns the recent threats against journalist Sékou Jamal Pendessa, and urges the Guinean authorities to identify and punish the… Read more »

West Africa: Journalists Harassed, Detained Over Reports On Powerful Persons

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) condemns the recent detentions and harassment of journalists in Nigeria, and urges the Nigerian authorities to respect press freedom. Read more »

West Africa: MFWA to Host Webinar On Legal Barriers to Environmental Journalism

Threats against environmental activism continue to escalate across West Africa. The powerful interests behind harmful environmental activities and unsustainable agricultural… Read more »

West Africa: Nigerian Police Detained Journalist Madu Onuorah Over Alleged Defamation

Officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), on May 22, 2024, arrested Madu Onuorah, publisher and editor-in-chief of Globalupfront Newspaper, from his residence in Abuja, Nigeria's… Read more »

West Africa: Guinean Govt Shuts Down Major Private Media Outlets

Guinea's junta has banned five prominent private media outlets, dealing another blow to the broadcast sector which has been reeling under various attacks by the government. Read more »

West Africa: Mali Silences Critics With Harsh Sentences, Including Etienne Fakaba Sissoko

A court in Mali has handed a two-year prison sentence to Dr Etienne Fakaba Sissoko to crown two months of harassment of the economist and lecturer of the University of Bamako. The… Read more »

West Africa: Nigeria's Hydra-Headed Cybercrime Act Retains Its Venom Despite Amendment

The line between online journalism and cybercrime remains blurred, even after amendments to Nigeria's Cybercrime Act intended to bring clarity to the law in respect of online… Read more »

Guinea: Guinea's Media Groaning Under Continued Repression

On March 18, 2024, Guinea's media regulatory body, the Haute Autorité de la Communication (HAC suspended for three months Mamadou Taslima Diallo, alias Williams Campbell,… Read more »

West Africa: Nigerian Police Arrest FIJ Reporter, Daniel Ojukwu

The Intelligence Response Team of Nigeria's Inspector General of Police, have arrested Daniel Ojukwu, an investigative journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism… Read more »

West Africa: Togolese Authorities Expel French Journalist, Restrict Accreditation for Upcoming Elections

A Lomé court has handed down a six-month suspended prison sentence to Thomas Pierre Dietrich, special correspondent for the Afrique XXL TV channel. Dietrich has also been… Read more »

West Africa: WPFD2024 - Govts Must Ensure an Open Civic Space for Environmental Journalists, Activists in West Africa

The celebration of World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2024 is under the theme "A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis". The global event to mark the… Read more »

West Africa: Mali's Transitional Calendar Ignored - Siege On Media, Civil Society Intensified

The transitional government in Mali was supposed to have ended on march 26, 2024. But the much-anticipated deadline for a return to constitutional order has passed in a casual… Read more »

West Africa: Malian Authorities Suspend Political Party Activities, Censor Media

The military authorities in Mali have banned the media from covering the activities of political parties and all activities of political nature in the continuing squeeze on the… Read more »

West Africa: Immigration Officers Assault Journalist

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) strongly condemns the awful assault on Seun Falomo, a news correspondent for Galaxy Television, and calls for appropriate disciplinary… Read more »

West Africa: Powerful Politicians Leverage Anti-Media Laws Against Media

The Media Foundation for West Africa MFWA condemns the detention of Apollinaire Mewenemesse by the police in Togo, and demands the unconditional release of the journalist. Read more »

West Africa: Security Officers Brutally Arrest Journalist

More than three weeks after journalist, Kesselle Sumo, was brutally assaulted, none of perpetrators have been brought to book. The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) strongly… Read more »

West Africa: MFWA to Host Forum On Mis/Disinformation and Propaganda Narratives On Ghana's 2024 Elections

Ghana's democracy continues to show resilience, 32 years after the advent of its Fourth Republic. However, it remains a fact that every election year, the country's peace… Read more »

Senegal: Senegalese President Grants Tax Amnesty to the Media in Bridge-Building Efforts

The MFWA warmly welcomes President Macky Sall's decision on March 18, 2024, to absolve Senegal's media outlets of their tax debts, estimated at over 40 billion CFA francs.… Read more »

West Africa: Trade Unions Threaten Nationwide Strike Over Detention of Journalist

Today February 16, 2024 marks 28 days since the arrest and detention of Guinean journalist Sékou Jamal Pendessa. Read more »

West Africa: MFWA Builds Capacity of Journalists On Fact-Checking Ahead of Ghana 2024 Elections

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has rolled out a series of capacity-building workshops to enhance the knowledge and skillset of journalists on fact-checking ahead of… Read more »

West Africa: Suspension of Niger's Media Umbrella Organisation Confirms Repression

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) strongly condemns the suspension of media umbrella organisation, Maison de la Presse, and calls on the Nigerien authorities to reverse… Read more »

West Africa: Political Actors in Guinea Bissau Must Preserve the Country's Fragile Democracy

The Media Foundation for West Africa MFWA strongly condemns the recent act of mutiny by elements of the security forces in Guinea Bissau. We call on all actors in the country's… Read more »

Ghana: MFWA to Hold Public Forum On Women's Online Rights in Ghana

Internet penetration rates in Ghana continue to improve and as a result, many more Ghanaians have been connected to vast opportunities and knowledge sources online. However, a… Read more »