Guinea’s media regulator, the High Authority for Communication (HAC), has announced that it will publish a list of journalists and media outlets authorised to operate ahead of the country’s legislative and municipal elections scheduled for May 26, 2026.
Boubacar Yacine Diallo, President of the HAC, made the announcement on February 25, 2026, during an interinstitutional evaluation workshop. He said the list would include journalists holding press cards issued by the HAC and media organisations authorised to operate.
“We have undertaken a media clean-up operation and all commissioners were in the interior of the country to identify media outlets in their areas of establishment,” Diallo said. “Before the legislative and municipal elections, we will publish the list of journalists who hold press cards and the list of media outlets authorised to operate. This is important for us. Municipal elections take place within constituencies. If we do not know which media outlets are authorised to cover the campaign, there is a risk that some content may escape our attention.”
The announcement follows an earlier decision by the HAC to conduct a nationwide media census. In a statement issued on January 28, 2026, the regulator said the first phase of the operation would run from February 1 to February 28, 2026, covering media outlets in the regions of Kindia, Boké, Labé, Mamou, Faranah, Kankan and N’Zérékoré. Heads of radio, television and online media organisations were required to present documents proving their legal existence to HAC commissioners.
Some media executives told the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) in January that the census could expose non-compliant outlets to sanctions or closure, particularly at a time when many organisations face financial and administrative challenges. The HAC has however framed the initiative as a regulatory exercise linked to the integrity of the electoral process.
The Media Foundation for West Africa notes that regulatory oversight falls within the mandate of the HAC. However any system that conditions election coverage on prior authorisation must be applied in a manner that is lawful, transparent and non-discriminatory. The Foundation therefore urges the HAC and the Guinean authorities to ensure that the criteria for inclusion on any published list are clear, objective and publicly available, and that no media outlet or journalist is arbitrarily excluded. In the context of elections, regulatory measures should reinforce, not narrow, the space for diverse and independent reporting.
