BENIN
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Benin has a large number of newspapers and publications, but many of them are not published regularly due to lack of financial resources. Radios are also numerous, but they are generally small in size and cater only to local audiences. Despite low internet penetration rates, the media in Benin is experiencing steady development. The national radio-television company ORTB is the main public media group in Benin and is the only one authorized to broadcast information nationwide. The government also owns the press agency ABP as well as the daily newspaper La Nation. In 2019, there were over 70 radio stations, around 60 press titles, and about 15 television channels in Benin. Although there is a wide range of sources of information in Benin, with 133 periodicals, including 83 daily newspapers, press circulation numbers are often low, ranging from 50 to 2500 copies on average, due to the high rate of illiteracy and low level of reading among Beninese people. Access to media is better on the radio and through mobile phones, but print media is mainly urban and its access cost is high for most Beninese people. Internet accessibility is also limited due to the high cost of ADSL connection and limited availability of cybercafes. |
