The minister explained that this fund, initially set at 1.9 billion CFA francs, equivalent to D220.4 million was increased to 4 billion CFA francs (110%) thanks to recovery efforts carried out since his arrival at the ministry.
"In the space of three months, we negotiated with the finance services and recovered royalties, which made it possible to reach this amount. An additional two billion was allocated to this fund to support the sector. This brings the press fund to 4 billion," he said during a meeting held Tuesday to present the official list of media recognised by the State of Senegal.
Alioune Sall stressed the need to restructure the Senegalese media landscape to better identify the players in the sector and fully exploit its opportunities. "By recognising all the bodies and clarifying who is who, we will be able to discover niches in the media sector, allowing us to recover significant sums," he explained.
Combating the precariousness of journalists
The minister also raised the issue of the precariousness of media professionals, particularly young reporters. "We must ensure that journalists can make a decent living from their profession. This fund is a first step towards solving the problems of financing the media, advertising and conventions, and improving the working conditions of the players in the sector."
This increase in the Press Development Fund is part of a stated desire to strengthen a sector considered "strategic", while offering better conditions to the professionals who work there.
Meanwhile, according to The Gambian Journal, on Tuesday, Senegal’s Minister of Communication, Alioune Sall, released a provisional list of media outlets officially recognized by the government. Out of 535 registered entities, only 112 were included, comprising 54 online platforms, 10 television stations, 14 newspapers, 14 radio stations, 11 community radio channels, and 6 web-based TV platforms.
However, the exclusion of several influential media outlets has sparked significant public debate. Among the omissions are Sen TV and Zik FM, both part of the prominent D-Média group owned by Bougane Guéye Dany. Interestingly, La Tribune, a print publication under the same group, was included in the list.
Similarly, Le Quotidien, a leading newspaper from the Avenir Communication media group owned by Madiambal Diagne, and 7TV, a television station owned by Maimouna Ndour Faye, were notably absent. In the online press category, Senego, a widely followed platform, was also excluded.
