Africa-Press – Gambia. The Minister of Communications, Telecommunications, and Digital Affairs, Alioune Sall, has ordered media outlets declared “non-compliant” with the Press Code to cease their activities on Friday. Those who fail to comply with this order are subject to sanctions, he said.
“Media outlets that do not comply with the Press Code are required to cease all dissemination or sharing of content and media, in accordance with the provisions of the Press Code,” states a ministerial order received by APS.
Online, print, and audiovisual media companies must comply with the code governing media activities, Mr Sall argued.
On February 6, 2025, the ministry he heads published a list of 258 media outlets that met the criteria set for their official recognition by the state.
Twenty-six television channels, 28 daily newspapers, 30 commercial radio stations, 102 community radio stations, 22 online-only television channels, and 48 news websites are in compliance, stated Habibou Dia, the director of communications at the ministry with technical oversight of the media.
According to Mr Dia, 639 media outlets had submitted an application on the “Déclaration médias du Sénégal” platform, which had been set up for their registration.
Three hundred and eighty-one media outlets “did not comply” with the provisions of the Press Code authorising them to freely operate,” he stated last February.
“They face sanctions up to and including the withdrawal of their signals or frequencies,” if they are broadcasters of audiovisual media”, Habibou Dia warned.
The decree of the Minister of Communication, Telecommunications, and Digital Affairs reiterates that “any broadcaster of non-compliant media content or fake news is subject to the obligation to comply with the provisions of the Penal Code.”
The Territorial Surveillance Directorate will prohibit media outlets that have not met the criteria set by the State from operating, according to Alioune Sall.
This branch of the National Police Directorate General received such an instruction last Tuesday, according to a document signed by its director and attached to the ministerial decree.
For More News And Analysis About Gambia Follow Africa-Press
