Senegal’s press is facing a worsening financial crisis, impacted by cuts to public subsidies and the collapse of advertising revenue. At its centre is the restructuring of Youssou N'Dour's Futurs Médias group, but other privately owned companies are now facing similar challenges and asking for government support.
The Futurs Médias group (GFM) – which owns leading Senegalese media outlets including newspaper L'Observateur, radio station RFM and television channel TFM – says it is experiencing an "unprecedented" crisis.
With advertising revenue plummeting, print sales falling, rising costs and tax adjustments, the group has not paid some employees for three months.
For its management there is only one option left: restructuring the company.
The group was founded in 2003 by the internationally renowned musician and former culture minister, Youssou N’Dour, to provide an independent media platform that could offer diverse perspectives, countering the dominance of state-controlled media.
The group became a dominant force in Senegal's media landscape; L'Observateur is now the most read daily paper in the country.
But since 2024, amid the national economic crisis and recent political change, GFM has been struggling.
Amid a reduction in public subsidies, the group's profits have fallen. So to reduce its expenses, it is looking to save on salaries. Dozens of positions are now under threat, among the group's 400 permanent employees.
Staff representatives have reacted angrily to the plan, as Mamadou Fall, general secretary of the Syndicate of Information and Communication Professionals of Senegal (SYNPICS), GFM section, told RFI.
"The release of a press release to announce a recovery plan took us by surprise," he said. "For us, it's brutal, it's difficult. We don't want any lay-offs at GFM and we want to try to save as many jobs as possible, because this could create a social tragedy in Senegal."
Workers affiliated with SYNPICS agreed last week to file a notice to strike.
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Plurality under threat
The issues at GFM, which has correspondents across Senegal, pose a real threat to the plurality of the press sector in the country, according to Sadibou Marong, director of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) office in Dakar.
"The crisis probably means that the territorial coverage, the strength of the group... could be fundamentally damaged, and that would impact the pluralism of news," Marong told RFI.
"News is not something that is needed or happening only in Dakar, it happens throughout the country – the regions and departments where there were correspondents. So, that is the first issue."
But the situation at GFM is not an isolated case. The Senegalese press has been hit hard by the country's economic crisis over the past year, and many journalists have already lost their jobs.
Other groups are going through a financial crisis, such as the Sud Communication group, which owns the daily Sud Quotidien, and has been forced to raise funds via crowdfunding.
The Walfadjri group, or WALF, another private media group, is also facing cash flow difficulties.
"This means that good journalists might lose their job and move on to communications positions," Marong said, "and that will impact the quality of news."
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'Risk of extinction'
According to the head of the Coordination of Press Associations of Senegal, Ibrahima Lissa Faye, the survival of the press in Senegal is in question.
"For more than 17 months, media companies have been in a cash deficit because of a series of inappropriate measures taken by the state that are weakening the survival of media companies and putting them in an extremely complicated situation," he told RFI.
"And today, all private media companies are living with salary arrears, rental arrears and outdated equipment that has not been properly maintained. Therefore, there is a risk of extinction for some media outlets."
Senegal has been suffering from an economic crisis since 2024, facing a budget deficit of 14 percent and an outstanding public debt representing 119 percent of GDP.
When President Bassirou Diomaye Faye came to power in April 2024, he pledged to support a free press and a diversified media landscape. Under Senegal's previous president, Macky Sall, 60 journalists were arrested, assaulted, questioned or detained between 2021 and 2024, according to an RSF report.
But among the measures to cut public spending out in place by the government of his Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, were a pause on the Press Support and Development Fund (FADP) and a reduction in publicly-funded advertising campaigns.
And according to Lissa Faye, these are among the root causes of the current financial crisis in the media industry.
A regional beacon
Press associations and trade unions have denounced the lack of support from the government.
A general meeting took place at GFM on 26 August to discuss the job losses, and the Syndicate of Information and SYNPICS has also announced a rally, to be held as soon as possible.
Senegal's media is considered vital for press freedom across West Africa, as the country boasts the most dynamic press in a region where journalists are under huge constraints. Neighbouring economies, for instance in Niger and Mali, are also much weaker. This means Senegal's media covers wider regional issues and is read and watched beyond its borders.
In addition, said Lissa Faye, referring to the wider region's jihadist rebellions and military coups: "We are in a very threatened region, with instability that could, in any case, take over our media or come up with another offer that may not be to our liking."
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For Marong, who contributed to an RSF report on reforms needed for the press sector to survive, released in April 2025, private media has also relied on public support and adverts from public sector organisations for too long.
The government has introduced media reform aimed at bringing more transparency to the landscape, he explained, and at encouraging the diversification in revenues.
These reforms include the registration of media outlets on a dedicated platform, as well as the updating of advertising laws to strengthen regulation, according to RSF.
But the primary challenge remains the economic survival of media outlets.
"The Press Support Fund wasn't paid in 2024 and 2025, it's true, and with the lack in advert revenues, this creates a bit of a shortfall," Marong said.
"But it also shows that, for a long time, the media relied on public subsidies and didn't have the ability to reinvent themselves, to invest in digital, to invest in other promising niches, for example, mobile money. Le Soleil did it, and it was successful. Unfortunately, not all media outlets have done that yet."
