MediaSahel
MediaSahel

Goals

To provide reliable news to young men and women from the Sahel region, and make it possible for them to express their opinions, take part in public debates and contribute to public life in their respective countries, through the media.
8,3 M
48months
3Countries

A project

Supported by

In partnership with

Presentation

In recent years, the Sahel region has experienced a series of multifaceted, overlapping and worsening crises. One of the factors behind this fragility is the sense of neglect, injustice and marginalisation felt by part of the Sahel's youth, with the under-30s representing about 65% of the population.

This crisis, which is sweeping across the entire Sahel-Saharan belt, cannotbe resolved without making young people feel more included in social and political circles. In this respect, the media have an important role to play by offering young people forums for expressing their opinions and promoting dialogue between citizens, civil society representatives and the authorities.

Through the media, the MediaSahel project is helping to increase youth inclusion, foster stabilisation and establish democracy in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. A scheme for supporting production has been planned to run during the 48-month-long project. In addition to nationwide initiatives, a regional dimension will make it easier to broadcast news and promote dialogue between those three countries, with the focus being placed on shared problems and solutions, and content being offered in local languages.

Verbatim
“Conscious as we are that the media are essential to improving understanding of a complex environment and to initiating a more inclusive and more balanced public debate, we are delighted to be teaming up with CFI to work with the young men and women of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to produce reliable and independent news that is both focused on their interests and sensitive to gender.”
Rémy Rioux, Chief Executive of the French Development Agency

Project beneficiaries

Media professionals (radio stations, websites), bloggers, young people, civil society and local authorities representatives in the three countries.

Project manager
Salomé SABATTINI

Files to download

MediaSahel

Actions

Strengthening the capabilities of the media

> Encouraging young people to take part in interactive shows and get involved in the production of content;
> Training local trainers in journalism;
> Strengthening the skills of media professionals: the fundamentals of professional journalism, journalism that is sensitive to conflict and gender, interactive shows engaging young people, discussion shows, encouraging representatives of the State and of civil society organisations to take part in discussion shows and raising their awareness;
> Aiding the development of media outlets or new formats created by young people;
> Providing training courses on new interactive formats for the internet;
> Supporting media management teams;
> Raising the awareness of the media, regulatory bodies and civil society organisations on the issues relating to fake news and the verification of facts.

Related news

Getting to know the Nigerien youth better... in order to better support them!

March 1, 2019
At the beginning of the year, a Nigerien expert went to the young people's meeting in the Tillabéri region (Niger) in order to understand their...

How can we improve youth inclusion with the help of the media?

April 15, 2019
The three MédiaSahel national coordination committees have been meeting up since the beginning of the project to affirm their commitment to...

CFI and the French Development Agency (AFD) launch a project to support youth in the Sahel

April 25, 2019
With funding of 8.3 million euros, the AFD and CFI, the French media development agency, are launching the MediaSahel project aimed at promoting...

Ten new recruits for MédiaSahel

December 1, 2019
In November 2019, four female and six male trainers - journalists from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso - received training on instructional design...

MediaSahel, results 2019

March 27, 2020
In recent years, the Sahel region has experienced a series of multifaceted, overlapping and worsening crises. This instability cannot be resolved...

MediaSahel broadcasts special content on Covid-19

May 11, 2020
For several weeks, the programmes produced as part of the MediaSahel project have been adapted to the current health crisis. New content to...

The “Pas2Quartier” programme expands across Africa

February 25, 2021
Three editorial projects, inspired by “Pas2Quartier” and supported by CFI, will soon see the light of day in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

Improved monitoring and evaluation within MediaSahel project team

February 26, 2021
Monitoring and evaluation training initially scheduled for March 2020 was provided to MediaSahel’s regional team and the project partners between...

Consultation workshops in Bamako and Niamey for media discussions

March 1, 2021
Young people from Mali and Niger, engaged in developing their regions through media projects, met with radio station managers in a two-day...

Three youth broadcasting projects in the Sahel region

March 1, 2021
Last December, fifteen journalists from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger took part in in a regional workshop on producing programmes for young people...

“Identifying the cornerstones of the profession”: training in the basic principles of journalism in Sahel

March 2, 2021
Between August and November 2020, MediaSahel provided training for 144 radio journalists on the fundamental rules of their profession, in Burkina...

Gender issues for MédiaSahel’s radio partners

June 24, 2021
After the basics and how to interact, MédiaSahel tackles the theme of gender and conflict. An initial training course was held in Burkina Faso...

Gender and conflict on the agenda at MediaSahel’s partner radio stations

October 8, 2021
Mediation, moderation and raised awareness. These words now mean more to those who attended the gender- and conflict-sensitive journalism...

Management training for radio station managers in the Sahel

October 10, 2021
In Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, 30 radio stations were selected from among the 73 partner stations of the MediaSahel project to receive...

With reusable bottles and a cooler for training sessions: MediaSahel is taking a more environmentally-friendly approach

November 2, 2021
For several months, MediaSahel has been adopting a more eco-friendly strategy by banning single-use plastic water bottles from training sessions...

New content to amplify young Sahelian voices

June 20, 2022
MediaSahel is providing 63 partner radio stations in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger with financial support and training to help them produce high...

MediaSahel provides its partners with equipment

June 20, 2022
Seventy-one radio stations in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger received new equipment in June.

Walde Ejef: a symbol of media resilience in a conflict zone

September 2, 2022
Walde Ejef (Walde from Fulfulde and Ejef from Tamashek) means “Association of the inhabitants of the dunes”. The only radio station to broadcast...

“Judges” to assess the quality of radio productions

September 30, 2022
To assess the content produced as part of the MediaSahel project, young people and media professionals took part in listening committees in July...

Public talk shows 
to resolve or prevent conflict

September 30, 2022
Around 100 radio show hosts from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have already benefited from training sessions on public talk shows offered by...

Progress made in the consideration of gender issues by African radio stations, but there is still more work to be done!

October 7, 2022
Zara Maina is a retired journalist and an expert on gender issues. A former President of the Association des Professionnelles Africaines de la...

The wonders of youth

December 2, 2022
Decline in revenues linked to commercial advertising, difficulties in covering the news, editorial caution... Radio Djawoampo is suffering as a...

Listeners' clubs: the power of community radio stations

January 6, 2023
After a training session on community management and social engagement, some partner radio stations of the MédiaSahel project launched listeners'...

Fatoumata Ongoiba: a radio host advocating for the rights of children

January 20, 2023
Fatoumata Ongoiba hosts programmes in Dogoso on a radio station based in Douentza (Mopti, Mali), an area impacted by the security crisis. In...

The resilient journey of Boubakary Abdoulaye

February 23, 2023
From Djibo to Dori, and from the mines to the world of journalism, Boubakary Abdoulaye's career has hardly been smooth sailing He has now found...

Aissata Sankara: "I like to share everything I've learnt with others"

March 31, 2023
Interview with Aissata Sankara, an independent journalist and reporter in Burkina Faso who has also been a MediaSahel and MediaSahel for Women...

Winning radio stations of MediaSahel contest receive their prizes

April 13, 2023
Solar panels, a long-range transmitter, smartphones, computers, editorial and managerial coaching… the prizes on offer for the radio contest...

Supporting the production of content created by and for young people

> The production of news and debate programmes aimed at the young, focusing on both national and international issues, in the local languages of the priority areas and in cross-border languages (unifying languages);
> The production of content that is both entertaining and educational, focusing on international issues, in the main languages and in cross-border languages;
> Supporting the local production of interactive content and discussion shows, in French and/or in local languages;
> National competitions on new interactive and discussion formats, with production grants being awarded to three winners over the course of a year.

Related news

RFI launches two magazine programmes in Fula and Mandingo

April 6, 2019
Since April 2019, RFI has been broadcasting two new interactive programmes, modelled on the Alors on dit quoi ? [So, what do we say?] magazine...

“So, what do you think?” A new programme for the young people of Africa

June 30, 2019
What do young people in Africa dream of? What are their initiatives in their own countries? These are the questions that the new RFI programme...

Creating a new forum for dialogue between media and youth in Burkina Faso

July 19, 2019
At the end of July 2019, UNALFA, (the Free National Audiovisual Union of Faso - L'Union Nationale de l'Audiovisuel Libre du Faso) is launching...

New offerings for young people on the Malian and Nigerien airwaves

July 29, 2019
In early June, Studio Tamani and Studio Kalangou launched new news and programme time slots specifically dedicated to young people.

the MediaSahel project presented at the “Paris Peace Forum 2019”

November 7, 2019
MediaSahel, supported by CFI – the French media development agency – and funded by the AFD, will be presented during the second edition of the...

Two days of public broadcasts with RFI in Niamey

November 10, 2019
The Oumarou Ganda Cultural Centre (OGCC) in Niamey (Niger) welcomed RFI teams in October 2019 to record two editions of Appels sur l'actualité...

In Burkina Faso, radio managers and young people discuss MédiaSahel

December 30, 2019
From 17 to 20 December 2019, a consultation workshop was held in Ouagadougou with the 24 directors of the beneficiary radio stations. Twenty...

Raising media awareness among Burkina Faso's young people through the press cartoon

December 31, 2019
In addition to the consultation workshop that brought together actors and partners of the MédiaSahel project in Ouagadougou in December 2019, a...

After Niamey, RFI sets up in Bamako to talk to young people

February 29, 2020
On 21 February 2020, two RFI broadcasts, "Appels sur l'actualité" by Juan Gomez and "le Débat" by Alain Foka were relocated to Mali.

Tous à la Fada and Tous au Grin: two programmes that speak to young

March 26, 2020
Studio Tamani and Studio Kalangou both launched a new programme aimed at young people in 2019 that was broadcast on 72 community radio stations...

Three studies to better understand youth-media relations

March 26, 2020
Field studies undertaken in October 2019 identified key stakeholders in districts in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger that were targeted by the...

‘Jeunes Wakat’ programme becomes more interactive

March 28, 2020
Several weeks after its launch, the Union Nationale de l'Audiovisuel Libre du Faso (UNALFA), 'Jeunes Wakat' is strengthening its interactive...

MédiaSahel rolls out a gender action plan and monitoring/assessment mechanism

April 4, 2020
These two new tools will allow gender-related issues to be fully integrated into the project and be managed more effectively from day to day.

Combating COVID-19 by drawing

April 28, 2020
There's nothing quite like a clever quip or a good drawing to make an impression. Damien Glez, who is offering Africa his talent to spread...

Young people, key allies in preventing
 COVID-19 in Burkina Faso

May 15, 2020
Jeunes Wakat (Youth Time), a radio show produced by UNALFA (Union Nationale de l'Audiovisuel Libre du Faso – National Union of Free Broadcasting...

Regional, legislative and presidential elections in Burkina Faso and Niger: videos to encourage good behaviour during election periods

November 24, 2020
CFI is broadcasting a series of ten videos with a light and humorous tone to raise awareness among young people in these two countries of the...

MédiaSahel launches its cycle of training courses on interactive programmes for its 72 partner radio stations

February 12, 2021
This Monday, 15 February, MédiaSahel is launching a cycle of training courses for its 72 partner radio stations on producing and hosting...

She was far more than just a man. She was an aspiring woman

February 26, 2021
Discover Dianké, the Afro-feminist radio drama that depicts contemporary Africa

Jeunes Wakat… live and in public

February 26, 2021
The youth programme held its first live show in front of a large audience on 18 December 2020, capping off a year of great turmoil.

Interactive programmes for young people

March 1, 2021
One of the goals under the MediaSahel project is to work alongside young people leading multimedia editorial projects and to start considering...

Burkina Faso’s young people include MediaSahel in their action plan

March 1, 2021
A second exchange workshop between MediaSahel’s young correspondents in Burkina Faso and the project team was held in Ouagadougou in December...

Thanks to MédiaSahel, RFI relocates to Ouagadougou to offer young people the opportunity to take the microphone

April 5, 2021
Ouagadougou hosted RFI’s teams for the recording of several editions of Appels sur l’actualité [News Calls] by Juan Gomez and Débat Africain...

In Niger, young people work alongside journalists during radio interactivity training

April 16, 2021
After Burkina Faso and Mali, it is now Niger’s turn to launch its cycle of training courses on hosting and promoting interactive programmes. The...

Three editorial projects inspired by “Pas2Quartier” will soon see the light of day in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger

June 9, 2021
The teams behind “Kiogo-kiogo” in Burkina Faso, “An ga ta” in Mali and “Ça pique” in Niger met in Ouagadougou from 17 to 29 May 2021 to add the...

“Interactivity” training cycle in Burkina Faso and Mali: assessment in figures

June 28, 2021
The main expectation of those participating in the interactivity training, which took place from 15 February to 3 April 2021 in Burkina Faso and...

MediaSahel: young people and partner radio stations lead discussions on Dianké’s themes

October 16, 2021
Following on from last August’s training sessions, young people and media outlets have launched a series of discussions and citizenship...

“Angata... mi casa, su casa”: a new online meeting that offers a different way to discover Mali

October 17, 2021
Three African web media outlets have been selected to receive funding and technical support in order to promote the creation of innovative, youth...

Salissou Hassane Latifa: Nigerien and humanitarian whizz

October 21, 2021
In Niger, there are very few girls who go on to higher education, especially in the sciences. With a master’s in software engineering, Salissou...

Public discussion programmes on the agenda for MediaSahel trainers

February 15, 2022
From 22 November to 4 December 2021, 10 trainers from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger travelled to the Burkinabe capital for a final training...

MediaSahel takes a look into the day-to-day workings of its partner media outlets

February 15, 2022
Between October and December 2021, the pool of MediaSahel trainers carried out coaching sessions at the various media outlets that are...

“Ça pique” an online cultural event for young people in Niger

February 21, 2022
Since 2021, three innovative online media outlets have been receiving technical and financial support from MediaSahel. Following on from Angata...

In the Sahel, young “flagbearers” assess programmes devoted to young people

February 28, 2022
There have been 75 young people fully involved in MédiaSahel activities, particularly in the assessment process for programmes that are devoted...

MédiaSahel: a review of what has been achieved

February 28, 2022
Launched at the start of 2019, MédiaSahel focuses its efforts on the inclusion of young people and on the stabilisation and development of...

New training on the production of talk shows in the Sahel

June 8, 2022
This year, from March to June, 108 journalists and media professionals were taught techniques to help them produce public talk shows in Burkina...

“Together, we can contribute to the development of Mali”

June 10, 2022
Fanta M. is an eighteen year old student and national poetry slam champion who is active within her community. She is also one of the MediaSahel...

112 Sahelian radio programmes compete to be named
one of the best in their country

June 20, 2022
CFI launches a competition to recognise the best programmes produced by MediaSahel’s partner radio stations. The juries have initiated listening...

Six months of production support
for around 60 radio stations in the Sahel region

August 29, 2022
Since the start of July, 63 MediaSahel partner media outlets have received production support. Lasting six months, this support aims to encourage...

Young people in Mali work to promote peace and reconciliation

October 11, 2022
According to the monitoring matrix published by the Malian government, there are more than 370,000 internally displaced persons in the country...

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🔵 "Je me demandais si j’allais y arriver et comment j’allais m’y prendre" 🔹 Rencontre avec Aissata Sankara, journaliste-reporter indépendante au Burkina Faso et formatrice pour #Médiasahel et #MédiaSahelPourElles depuis 2020. 👉 https://t.co/U2RKFxmrvJ#CFImédiashttps://t.co/20j4o7jQNx
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CFImedias

🔵Le parcours résilient de Boubakary Abdoulaye 🔹De la mine au journalisme, il a trouvé aujourd’hui sa place au sein de la radio Kawral 👉https://t.co/OAhSzxituz#CFImédias#ProjetEnAction#MediaSahelhttps://t.co/Eo5SGUV50a
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CFImedias

« J'ai passé une semaine sans pouvoir dormir à cause de ce que nous avions traversé » 🔵 Découvrez le parcours résilient de Boubakary Abdoulaye 👉 https://t.co/OAhSzxituz#CFImédias#MediaSahelhttps://t.co/roTi3rg8TU
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CFImedias

🔵 À l’occasion de la journée mondiale de la radio, découvrez RTB2 Fada, Rtb2 Dédougou, @radiosomega, lauréates du concours radio #MediaSahel 🔵 Ces 3 radios ont reçu du matériel d’une valeur de 6 500 000 francs CFA chacune et ont bénéficié d'un coaching 👉https://t.co/EBCGy3Lo3Mhttps://t.co/esRupaT3YN
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🔵The resilient journey of Boubakary Abdoulaye 🔹From the mines to the world of journalism, he has now found his true calling at Radio Kawral 👉https://t.co/mwBK6nX71N#CFImédias#ProjectInAction#MediaSahelhttps://t.co/G3HhZG6mj7
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Journée mondiale de la radio 📻 🔵 Découvrez le portrait de Fatoumata Ongoiba, l'animatrice radio qui défend les droits des enfants. En octobre dernier, elle a fait 2j de route pour participer à une formation #MediaSahel 👉 https://t.co/QJN3RquHfW#CFImedias#ProjetEnActionhttps://t.co/cvsU2ytitz
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