The Federation of Private Press Associations of Guinea (FEPAP-GUI), accompanied by the Guinean Confederation of Enterprises (CGE-GUI), paid a visit to the High Authority of Communication (HAC) on October 30, 2026. The visit was aimed at presenting the members of its newly elected executive bureau to the HAC. The meeting was described as a privilege and an engagement by Boubacar Yacine Diallo, President of the HAC.
Boubacar Yacine Diallo expressed his satisfaction with the visit, highlighting the importance of FEPAP-GUI as a unified team of press patrons. He noted that the HAC considers FEPAP-GUI as a privileged interlocutor, facilitating communication and relations between the regulatory institution and professional press organizations. The HAC President emphasized that the collaboration would focus on common projects, including the cleansing of the press, journalists, and media ranks.
The HAC President stressed that the media sector cannot be sanitized without the involvement of journalists. He pointed out that there are no journalists without media, and no media without journalists. Therefore, both sectors must be considered in any reform efforts. Boubacar Yacine Diallo also touched on the issue of state subsidies to private press, highlighting the difficulties in distributing these funds due to the multiplicity of small media outlets.
Boubacar Yacine Diallo called for an adaptation of the legislative framework to the realities of the media sector. He suggested that the current legislation should be revised to address the issue of media ownership and the status of journalists. The HAC President emphasized the need for genuine media owners with employees and financial responsibilities, rather than individual journalists cum owners.
The HAC President identified another area of collaboration: contributing to the adaptation of laws to new information technologies. He warned that if no action is taken, traditional press may succumb to the competition from non-professional online media. Boubacar Yacine Diallo called for synergy between FEPAP-GUI, HAC, and patronal organizations to protect and perpetuate legally established media outlets.
The HAC President emphasized the need for FEPAP-GUI, HAC, and patronal organizations to work together to help established media outlets resist unfair competition from online media. He described this competition as unfair and detrimental to traditional press. Boubacar Yacine Diallo pledged the HAC's support for FEPAP-GUI, offering to help the federation take off and eventually stand on its own.
The visit by FEPAP-GUI to HAC marks a significant step towards collaboration and reform in the Guinean media sector. The two parties aim to work together to address the challenges facing the sector, including media ownership, state subsidies, and the impact of new technologies. The meeting sets the stage for further discussions and potential reforms in the media landscape of Guinea.
Key points
- FEPAP-GUI visits HAC to discuss media sector reforms and collaboration.
- HAC President calls for adaptation of legislative framework to realities of media sector.
- Collaboration aims to protect and perpetuate legally established media outlets.
