Guinea Imposes Drastic Hike in Media Licensing Fees

In October 2022, Guinean authorities announced a significant increase in tariffs for acquiring and renewing media platform licenses, placing a heavy financial burden on media organizations. Under the new tariff regime, obtaining a license for a commercial television station with national coverage now costs 500,000,000 CFA Francs (approximately USD $850,000), a staggering 7000% increase from the previous fee of 7,000,000 CFA Francs (about USD $10,000).

Similarly, the cost of acquiring a license for a radio station with national coverage rose to 10,000,000 CFA Francs (USD $16,400), with renewal fees increasing by up to 500%. This comes at a time when the Guinean media sector is already struggling, with many radio stations unable to pay full salaries to their workers. The financial strain previously led to the shutdown of 79 radio stations on April 7, 2022, due to their inability to meet the old licensing fees.

Media professionals and press freedom advocates have criticized the new tariffs, arguing that they will further restrict independent journalism and weaken the press in Guinea.