The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has concluded a Regional Conference on Press Freedom and Democratic Governance in West Africa, culminating in the release of a detailed communiqué calling for urgent, coordinated action to protect media freedom and civic space across the subregion.
The conference, held on 11 August 2026 in Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria, brought together journalists, editors, media owners, publishers, media support organisations, civil society organisations, digital rights advocates, legal practitioners, academics, policymakers and development partners from across West Africa.
Participants deliberated on the findings of an MFWA-commissioned report on the state of media and free expression rights in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Guinea, and on the broader trajectory of press freedom and democratic governance in the region.
In the communiqué, participants warn that the deterioration of media freedom in parts of West Africa is accompanied by a narrowing of civic space, weakened institutional accountability, and growing constraints on independent journalism. They point to the increasing use of cybercrime and national security legislation, arrests and detentions, media suspensions, internet restrictions, and surveillance as measures that, taken together, are undermining legitimate journalistic work even in states facing genuine security challenges.
The communiqué stresses that press freedom and national security are complementary, not competing, objectives, and raises particular concern over the erosion of editorial independence, the widespread practice of self-censorship, unresolved cases of missing journalists, and the disproportionate threats facing women journalists in the sector.
The document calls on governments across the region to repeal or amend laws that criminalise legitimate journalism, restore judicial oversight over surveillance powers, guarantee the independence of media regulatory institutions, and ensure due process in any suspension or closure of a media organisation.
It urges regional and continental institutions to place press freedom at the centre of democratic governance assessments and to strengthen accountability mechanisms for persistent violations against journalists.
Media organisations, civil society, media support organisations, and development partners are each called upon to play their part, from strengthening editorial independence and cross-border investigative collaboration to sustaining legal defence, digital security, and protection mechanisms for journalists at risk.
The full communiqué issued at the close of the Regional Conference on Press Freedom and Democratic Governance in West Africa is available below.
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