Televisão Pública de Angola (TPA) serves as Angola’s national broadcaster and is headquartered in the capital, Luanda. Launched in 1975, the same year the country gained independence, TPA has since grown into a multi-channel network comprising TPA1, the flagship generalist channel; TPA2, which targets younger viewers with entertainment and educational content; and TPA Internacional, which caters to the Angolan diaspora and foreign audiences, promoting Angola’s image abroad.
Media assets
Television: TPA1, TPA2, TPA International
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
TPA is a state-owned enterprise under the direct authority of the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication. Its governance is vested in a Board of Directors, composed of seven members appointed by presidential decree. Despite being nominally autonomous, the broadcaster remains closely aligned with executive power, both structurally and editorially.
The official Director-general (CEO) of Televisão Pública de Angola (TPA), according to the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication (MINTTICS), is Francisco José Mendes
Source of funding and budget
TPA is heavily reliant on public funding. In 2020, the broadcaster’s budget stood at AOA 11.6 billion (approx. US$ 19.5 million), with the government contributing roughly 87% (AOA 9.8 billion). In subsequent years, state subsidies remained substantial:
- 2021: AOA 9.4 billion (US$ 15.2 million)
- 2022: AOA 10.65 billion (US$ 24.3 million), the largest state subsidy granted to any public company that year.
Budget figures for 2023 and 2024 have not been officially released, but local media experts report that the pattern of overwhelming state support has remained unchanged.
Editorial independence
Although there are no explicit legal provisions mandating editorial alignment with government interests, de facto political influence pervades TPA’s newsroom operations. The broadcaster has long been accused of toeing the government line, with content overwhelmingly skewed toward amplifying official narratives.
In 2021, a leaked internal memo written by a TPA journalist alleged that coverage of opposition parties was systematically suppressed. More recently, a media monitoring report published by a Luanda-based NGO in June 2024 confirmed that TPA—alongside other state-run outlets—dedicates a disproportionate share of airtime to government activities while marginalizing dissenting voices.
There is no statute safeguarding editorial independence, nor does an independent regulatory body exist to monitor TPA’s content or uphold journalistic standards. Critics argue that the broadcaster functions more as a government mouthpiecethan a public service entity.
June 2025