Established in 1978, the Agence Djiboutienne d’Information (ADI) is the official state news agency of Djibouti. It is the primary source of government-approved news and official communications, operating in close coordination with other state media to disseminate public information aligned with government priorities.
Media assets
News agency: Agence Djiboutienne d’Information
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
ADI is fully state-owned and operates under the direct supervision of the government. Its leadership is appointed at the discretion of top government officials, without public oversight or transparent selection procedures.
According to information obtained from local journalists and corroborated by the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) in a 2023 field interview, appointments at ADI are often politically motivated. A notable example is former director Yasser Hassan Boulo, a known government loyalist who concurrently held a seat on the board of the government-controlled Communication Commission, further highlighting the lack of institutional separation between media regulation and political power.
As of June 2025, no reforms to enhance transparency or independence in the agency’s governance structure have been reported.
Source of funding and budget
The ADI is entirely financed by the Djiboutian state. There is no publicly available information regarding its annual budget, revenue streams, or financial reporting practices. Interviews with local journalists and updates gathered in 2023 and 2025 by MJRC confirm that the agency continues to rely exclusively on government funding.
Editorial independence
ADI’s editorial content is closely aligned with the official narratives of the Djiboutian government. According to multiple local journalists and media experts interviewed between 2020 and 2025, the agency operates under strict editorial guidelines designed to ensure favorable coverage of state institutions and political leadership. Critical reporting or independent investigative journalism is absent from its output.
There is no domestic statute or independent regulatory mechanism in place to guarantee or assess the agency’s editorial independence. As of June 2025, no steps have been taken to establish such safeguards, and ADI remains widely viewed as a vehicle for government propaganda.
May 2025