NIAMEY, 24 Oct (ANPs) – The Niger National Communication Observatory (ONC) and Algeria’s with the National Independent Audiovisual Regulatory Authority (ANIRA) agreed to strengthen their cooperation in media regulation, audiovisual and digital monitoring and the fight against misinformation.
Following a working visit to Algeria by the President of ONC, Ibrahim Manzo Diallo, from 20 to 24 October 2026, this announcement was made.
For example, the two institutions include the conclusion of a partnership agreement, the establishment of a joint working group and the designation of permanent focal points to monitor their commitments.
This visit, carried out by the President of ONC, Mr Ibrahim Manzo Diallo at the invitation of the President of the ANIRA, Ammar Benjedda, is part of the dynamic of strengthening the bonds of fraternity and solidarity between Niger and Algeria, as well as the desire of the two institutions to develop lasting cooperation between African authorities responsible for regulating the media and audiovisual space.
The Niger delegation was composed of three ONC officials, including Abdourahamane Varino, member of the Observatory, Ousmane Garba, secretary-general, and Abdou Gambo, director of human, financial and material resources.
During the working sessions between the two Presidents and their delegations, discussions focused on the profound changes in the media landscape, characterized by the rise of digital platforms, satellite broadcasting and the development of on-demand audiovisual services, which promote the circulation of content across national borders.
According to the joint communiqué issued at the end of the visit, both parties noted that “this raises major challenges for regulators, including conflicts of competence between States, disparities in legislation and professional standards, the protection of the public against harmful or misleading content, and the preservation of media sovereignty and the cultural and linguistic diversity of African peoples”.
In the face of these challenges, the two institutions stressed “the need to promote a concerted approach to cross-border regulation, based on coordination between the competent authorities, the approximation of regulatory frameworks, the sharing of information and experience, and the establishment of common mechanisms for monitoring content and the treatment of regional infringements”.
This approach should be consistent with freedom of expression and opinion, while strengthening the requirements of professionalism and accountability in the processing and dissemination of information.
For ONC, these exchanges are of particular interest in a context marked by the diversification of communication media, the adoption of an order for electronic press and digital platforms, the proliferation of false information and the challenges of artificial intelligence. They also intervene in a regional information environment marked by the challenges of communication sovereignty and disinformation campaigns that the countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) claim to be facing.
Following discussions, the two Presidents welcomed the results of the mission and announced that their institutions are in the process of concluding a partnership agreement to structure and sustain their cooperation.
The agreement will include the exchange of experience in media legislation and the enforcement of regulations, the strengthening of technical monitoring and regulatory capacities, and cooperation in the monitoring of audiovisual space and digital and multimedia content.
The fight against misinformation and false information is also one of the main areas envisaged, alongside the training of journalists, technicians and technical agents, the organisation of exchange missions and the development of relations between the media of Niger and Algeria.
The two institutions also intend to coordinate their positions and efforts in African forums in order to contribute to the emergence of common responses to the challenges of media regulation on the continent.
To translate these guidelines into concrete actions, a joint working group will be set up to draw up the draft partnership agreement and define its implementation programme. Each institution should also designate a permanent focal point to monitor commitments, exchange information and coordinate activities.
In the same perspective, the two Presidents agreed to work towards the extension of this cooperation to the corresponding African authorities, with a view to promoting the establishment of a continental network of audiovisual regulation, in coordination with the regional unions concerned.
A forthcoming visit by a delegation of ANIRA to Niamey is also envisaged as soon as possible. It will allow the Algerian side to soak up the experience of the ONC and identify new avenues of collaboration adapted to Niger’s institutional and media realities.
It should be noted that on the margins of the institutional working sessions, the Niger delegation was received by the Algerian Minister of Communication, Mohamed Bouslami, with whom it reviewed prospects for cooperation in the field of communication.
The mission also allowed ONC officials to discover several major institutions in the Algerian media landscape, including the Press Service Agency (APS), the Public Television Establishment (ENTV), the National Sound Broadcasting Institution (ENRS), the Public Television Broadcasting Institution of Algeria (TDA) and the international channel AL24 News.
In addition, two meetings were held with the exchange centres of the African Broadcasting Union (ABU) and the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU).
These visits provided the delegation with an opportunity to better understand the organisation of audiovisual production, the dissemination infrastructures and the mechanisms for cooperation between the various information actors.
The programme also included visits to the Martyr Shrine, known as Maqam Echahid, the Mujahid National Museum and the Great Mosque of Algiers, Djamaâ El-Djazair, allowing visitors to discover emblematic places of Algerian history, memory and religious heritage.
At the end of the visit, the President of ONC, Mr Ibrahim Manzo Diallo expressed his gratitude to the Algerian authorities and to the institutions that had hosted the delegation, while the President of the ANIRA reiterated his satisfaction with the meeting and his desire to open a new stage of active partnership between the two bodies.
This mission, we comment, marks a step forward in the institutional rapprochement between Niger and Algeria in the field of communication, with the ambition to make the sharing of experiences, training and regional coordination levers for media regulation better adapted to technological change and the new challenges of the African information space.
AOM/SML/ANP/October 2026