Established in 2018, the National Office for Audiovisual Media (Office National des Médias Audiovisuels – ONAMA) serves as Chad’s principal state broadcasting entity. It oversees both national television (Télé Tchad) and the national radio broadcaster (Radio Nationale Tchadienne – RNT). ONAMA emerged as a successor to the defunct ONRTV, amid promises of modernization and professional reform. While its operational headquarters were inaugurated in 2020 with fanfare and full state funding, many of its systemic challenges persist.
Media assets
Television: Télé Tchad
Radio: Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne (RNT)
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
ONAMA was created by legislative decree as Chad’s official public service broadcaster. It operates under the direct authority of the Ministry of Communication, with all executive appointments—including the director general—made by presidential decree.
The broadcaster remains wholly owned by the state. While the transition from ONRTV to ONAMA was intended to symbolize a clean slate, the governance structure continues to reflect top-down political control, with no independent board or statutory protections for institutional autonomy.
Source of funding and budget
ONAMA is entirely state-funded. As of the most recent available information (2019), it does not generate independent revenue and relies fully on annual government allocations. When ONRTV was dissolved in 2018, its outstanding debts were absorbed by the state, clearing the slate for ONAMA’s launch.
There is no indication that ONAMA has since achieved financial autonomy or diversified its funding streams. According to a recent statement, ONAMA’s 2025 budget was endorsed at approximately 13 billion FCFA(€19 million) by the board of directors in April 2025.
Editorial independence
Despite the rhetoric surrounding its 2018 launch, ONAMA has failed to break with the past in terms of editorial independence. Local journalists consistently describe the broadcaster as a mouthpiece for the government, echoing official narratives and sidelining dissenting views. The reform that created ONAMA promised adherence to journalistic ethics and professional standards, but no concrete mechanisms have been put in place to safeguard editorial integrity.
The broadcaster operates without a statutory framework that guarantees its independence, and no independent regulatory or oversight body exists to evaluate or enforce impartiality in its content. As a result, ONAMA continues to reflect the interests of those in power, with limited space for critical journalism or balanced coverage.
July 2025