Resilient media outlets on hold: Study on the sustainability of private media in Niger

The study on the sustainability of private media in Niger takes place in the current context in Niger. Based on a sample of 16 private media outlets, the study analyses and demonstrates the sustainability (or otherwise) of private media outlets from four perspectives: economic, institutional, social and technical. It highlights the constraints of the external environment and the internal weaknesses of Nigerien private media outlets.

The study shows that, despite constraints, private media outlets demonstrate resilience by continuing to inform citizens in a context marked by a resurgence of disinformation, but it also asks the question: “How long and at what cost?” In this regard, the study on the sustainability of private media outlets is a wake-up call about these weaknesses, with the aim of avoiding the worst-case scenario – the disappearance of several private media outlets if emergency measures are not taken in time.

The study makes strategic and operational recommendations to the government, technical and financial partners and media stakeholders. Implementing these recommendations will help create an economic, institutional, social and technical ecosystem conducive to the emergence and consolidation of genuine media companies in Niger.