Walta Media and Communication Corporate S.C. (WMCC), formerly known as the Walta Information Center, is a state-affiliated media organization headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Established in 1994, Walta plays a dual role as both a news producer and a public relations outlet, supplying content to the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) and various domestic media platforms.
Walta operates a multilingual news portal—offering content in Amharic, English, and Arabic—and runs Walta TV, a broadcast station that focuses primarily on social, political, and government-related developments in Amharic. Its editorial output consistently echoes state narratives, placing it among the country’s most overtly government-aligned outlets.
Media assets
Television: Walta TV
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
Walta is government-owned and operates under a conventional corporate structure led by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and overseen by a board of directors. However, while the structure mimics that of a commercial entity, its editorial and operational direction is widely believed to be steered by political forces.
Although WMCC is legally registered as a share company, all effective ownership traces back to the ruling Prosperity Party, which succeeded the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) in December 2019. According to several journalists and former employees interviewed for this report, the board’s composition is shaped by party loyalty rather than independent expertise or media experience.
In 2024, no changes to the corporate governance structure or appointments were reported publicly, reinforcing the perception of tight political control.
Source of funding and budget
WMCC is financially sustained through government support, channeled via the Prosperity Party’s budgetary ecosystem. While it operates under the guise of commercial viability, its dependence on state-aligned funding mechanisms leaves it beholden to political interests.
Internal records reviewed for this report show that Walta’s total income in 2023 was approximately ETB 434 million (around US$ 7.6 million). The breakdown of this figure remains opaque, but informed sources suggest the bulk of the revenue came from state advertising, content contracts with public institutions, and political communications services.
There are no publicly available audit reports, and Walta does not disclose its funding sources or annual budgets to the public, undermining transparency.
Editorial independence
Walta’s editorial stance is unequivocally pro-government. Described by observers as an “arm of the state’s communication strategy,” the outlet operates more as a public relations entity than as an independent journalistic institution.
Coverage on Walta TV and its online platforms overwhelmingly highlights government achievements, speeches by high-ranking officials, and narratives aligned with the Prosperity Party’s agenda. Critical voices, opposition viewpoints, and investigative journalism are virtually absent from its programming.
Walta’s self-declared mission includes “public relations services,” blurring the line between news and propaganda. No statutory guarantees for editorial independence have been identified in the company’s governing documents, nor does any independent regulatory or oversight mechanism exist to ensure journalistic independence.
Recent reports in 2024 and 2025 from media freedom organizations continue to rank Walta among Ethiopia’s least independent media institutions, reinforcing its reputation as a state communications proxy rather than a watchdog of power.
June 2025