Bamako: Burkina Faso shared its experience in media support on Friday in Bamako, Mali, during a round table organized on the sidelines of the first edition of the Pan-African Media Forum (FOPAME), AIB observed. Pascal Yemboini Thiombiano, the advisor to the Minister of Communication in Burkina Faso, was one of the facilitators of the roundtable's sub-theme entitled "Media Support Funds: Effective Mechanisms." His presentation focused on the Private Press Support Fund (FAPP), established in 1997.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the FAPP is a public institution of the Burkinabe state, classified as a national fund. Its mission is to grant state subsidies to press companies. It is also responsible for financing and co-financing projects undertaken by press companies, as well as providing training for the development of the private press.
The Fund has seen a significant increase in its public aid, rising from 50 million FCFA in 1997 to 400 million FCFA between 2016 and 2023. In 2025, the amount was 320 million FCFA in subsidies, in view of the context linked to the security crisis that has been raging in the country for almost a decade.
The FAPP offers several types of services to eligible media companies. These include non-repayable public subsidies granted to private media outlets. There are also loans available to finance individual and collective projects. Finally, the Fund contributes to capacity building through studies and advisory support for media organizations.
According to communicator Thiombiano, to benefit from this support, media outlets must meet certain conditions, including ensuring continuous operation from January 1st to December 31st of the year, fulfilling their tax obligations, not being beneficiaries of any other public subsidy, and not having been subject to administrative or criminal sanctions.
"The funds received must be rigorously justified. Failure to comply with this obligation will result in sanctions, including the suspension of the grant," the project manager explained.
He did, however, indicate that the FAPP faces several challenges, including the justification of funds by the beneficiaries. 'Many media outlets struggle to justify the amounts allocated,' Mr. Thiombiano stated.
Added to this is the limited budget. 'Although the objective is to increase financial support, the economic context makes this difficulty,' he said.
In terms of future prospects, the spokesperson for Burkina Faso at this forum stressed the need to establish a financing mechanism for structuring projects in order to preserve professional and credible information in Burkina Faso.
This roundtable was held as part of the Pan-African Media Forum (FOPAME), organized by the Mali Press House from June 3 to 6, 2026. FOPAME brings together media professionals, journalists, academics, and experts from some twenty African countries. Burkina Faso is represented by officials from the Ministry of Communication and the Norbert Zongo National Press Center (CNP-NZ).