The media regulators of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have established a common structure, the PAREMEC, to coordinate their actions. This new platform was created on September 18, 2026, in Niamey, and will be initially presided over by Gaoussou Coulibaly from Mali. The regulators of the three countries in the Sahel region have taken a new step in their cooperation, which aims to strengthen their media regulation and communication.
The PAREMEC was officially established through the signing of a constitutive act, and its Charter and Internal Regulations were adopted during its first extraordinary session. The platform's presidency will be exercised in rotation by the heads of the three member institutions. The PAREMEC's permanent secretariat will be based in Niamey, allowing for the continuity of activities and follow-up on joint decisions made by the Burkinabé, Malian, and Nigerien regulators.
The PAREMEC aims to promote the sharing of expertise, the pooling of resources, and the harmonization of regulatory practices in the confederal space. It will facilitate a coordinated response to the challenges posed by the rapid circulation of content on digital media. The platform will focus on combating disinformation and hate speech, as well as fact-checking and verification. This cooperation will also support the training of journalists in fact-checking, digital investigation, and content authentication.
The constitutive conference, organized around the theme "Towards concerted governance of the media and digital space of the AES: for reinforced informational sovereignty," highlighted the importance of addressing the challenges posed by new technologies. The conference emphasized the need for cooperation between regulators to support the development of common media tools for the AES, including Radio Daandé Liptako, Télévision Tafouk, and the Confederal Communication Agency.
The creation of the PAREMEC accompanies the development of these common media tools and provides a permanent institutional framework for coordinating the regulation of the media and digital space of the three countries. The platform will enable the regulators to address the challenges posed by the rapid evolution of the media landscape, including the spread of disinformation and the manipulation of information.
The regulators' cooperation will also focus on supporting the training of journalists and media professionals in the AES countries. This will enable them to effectively address the challenges posed by new technologies and to promote a culture of fact-checking and verification. The PAREMEC will play a key role in promoting a coordinated approach to media regulation and communication in the Sahel region.
The establishment of the PAREMEC marks a significant step in the cooperation between the media regulators of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The platform will enable the regulators to address common challenges and to promote a culture of cooperation and coordination in the media sector. The PAREMEC's activities will be crucial in promoting a safe and secure media environment in the AES countries.
Key points
- The PAREMEC was established to coordinate media actions and regulate the media space in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
- The platform's presidency will be exercised in rotation by the heads of the three member institutions.
- The PAREMEC aims to promote the sharing of expertise, the pooling of resources, and the harmonization of regulatory practices in the confederal space.
