Established in 1974, Télévision Centrafricaine (TVCA) is the country’s official television broadcaster. With obsolete equipment, its coverage area is limited to the capital city of Bangui. One of its two transmitters is out of order while the second has limited outreach power.


Media assets

Television: TVCA

State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)


Ownership and governance

Controlled by the government, TVCA is run informally, without a board of directors or a specific law governing it. The station operates as a directorate within the Ministry of Communication and Media. The management of the station is appointed by the ministry. The appointments are made under the influence of the President, according to information from local journalists obtained last time in 2020.

Source of funding and budget

TVCA is fully funded by the government, according to information from local journalists obtained last time in 2020. The government does not publish information about the budget of the station. The President of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadéra has recently instructed the government to renovate the station’s main headquarters after 46 years. The station was thus relaunched in March 2020.

Editorial independence

The tight control of the management of TVCA badly affects the editorial independence of the station. TVCA is run as a state media entity, focusing most of the time on news about the activities of the government.

The mission of the General Directorate of Central African Television is to provide viewers with reliable, informative, entertaining and educational programs. However, no domestic statute and no independent assessment mechanism to validate the editorial independence of TVCA have been identified.

September 2023