Office National d’Edition et de Presse (ONEP)
The Office National d’Édition et de Presse (ONEP) is Niger’s state-run publishing house under the Ministry of Communication. It publishes Le Sahel, a flagship newspaper that traces its lineage to Le Temps du Niger (1960), later renamed Niger, before adopting its current title in 1974 following Seyni Kountché’s coup.
Media assets
Publishing: Le Sahel, Le Sahel Dimanche
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
Established in 1989 via Decree No. 89‑26, ONEP is fully owned by the state and steered by a ten-member Board of Directors appointed by the government. This structure ensures that management changes align squarely with official policy and political priorities.
Source of funding and budget
While ONEP, including Le Sahel, earns a portion of its income from advertising, it remains heavily reliant on state aid. Financial transparency is lacking: no audited accounts or public budgetary details are available. According to insiders, maintaining solvency hinges on government funding. In January 2023, the publisher modestly raised the cover price of its publications to shore up revenues.
Le Sahel had a daily print run of approximately 3,000–4,000 copies in 2024, with ONEP also releasing a weekly supplement, Sahel Dimanche, which sells around 5,000 copies per week.
Editorial independence
There is no statutory mandate preventing Le Sahel from adopting a critical stance. However, government control over appointments ensures an editorial line that often mirrors official narratives. An independent assessment conducted for this project in May 2024 found a distinct pro-government tilt, with stories largely lifted from press releases and little dissent. The July 2023 coup triggered stepped-up pressure on media outlets—there’s little sign Le Sahel has bucked that trend.
The military takeover has dramatically sharpened media restrictions, with journalists facing surveillance, arrests, and self-censorship.
A February 2025 government ministerial visit to ONEP highlighted efforts to bolster technical and editorial infrastructure—though independence remains off the table.
June 2025