Studio Yafa

Active in Burkina Faso since 2018, Studio Yafa provides independent, professional information and spaces for dialogue on the social and political life of the country. It produces multimedia programs (radio, television and video) targeting young people, women and vulnerable people. Magazines and debates are produced in five languages (Mooré, Dioula, Fulfulde, Gulmancema and French) by a team of 30 journalists, translators and technicians, supported by 34 correspondents from partner radio stations across the country.

Studio Yafa’s activities are carried out in partnership with the Union Nationale de l’Audiovisuel Libre du Faso (UNALFA – an association of private media), MOUSSO NEWS (online media specializing in gender issues), and FASOCHECK (an association of journalists specializing in factchecking).

Context

In 2023, the transitional government of Burkina Faso increased the defence budget to step up the fight against the threat of armed groups. The economic situation has worsened, with an inflation rate of 14.1%, the highest in West Africa. The country has fallen to 58th place in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. In July 2024, Burkina Faso joined the Alliance of Sahel States, following the signing of the treaty creating the Confederation of the Sahel, alongside Mali and Niger, in order to strengthen their cooperation.

Giving a voice to the vulnerables

In this context, Studio Yafa wants to be at the heart of the daily lives of young people, women and vulnerable people, broadcasting series such as “Yafa celebrates women”, “Yafa at school”, “Yafa in the field”, including features such as “A reminder about dengue fever and measles”. To ensure that Studio Yafa reaches its target audience, a number of distribution channels have been set up, including a network of 51 radio partners, articles and broadcasts on the website and social networks.

In 2023, the studio also played an active part in co-productions of Fondation Hirondelle’s three studios in the Sahel. These programmes, broadcast in 12 languages by 202 radio stations and 12 television channels, reach 7 million listeners.

Studio Yafa is stepping up its media literacy initiatives to encourage responsible and critical use of information available online and on social networks by the public. Studio Yafa also plans to set up a team specifically dedicated to monitoring hate speech and false information. To this end, journalists from partner radio stations will be trained in cybersecurity and information monitoring. The aim of this unit is to provide a virtual platform for monitoring hate speech.

Studio Yafa is expanding its internal capacity development. Capacity-building targets both studio and partner radio journalists. Studio Yafa’s journalists receive regular training, including in presenting and moderating debates, developing short features and magazine programmes, and news monitoring. Partner radio stations also receive training in conflict-sensitive journalism, safety on the move and preventive maintenance.