Media in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone’s media system combines print media, electronic media, community radio, commercial broadcasting, public-service broadcasting, television, direct-to-home satellite services, online services, streaming and social media. Radio remains one of the most relevant ways to receive news and public information. ITU data for 2024 recorded internet use at 25.1% of the population, mobile-broadband subscriptions at 29.1 per 100 inhabitants, 3G coverage at 97.2% and LTE coverage at 81.6%. DataReportal estimated 1.80 million internet users and 1.15 million active social-media user identities in January 2025, equal to 13.2% of the population; identities do not necessarily represent unique people. Older MICS 2017 figures recorded radio in 54.7% of households, television in 18.2% and home internet in 13.8%, but comparable current household figures are not consistently available. Access therefore differs substantially between urban and rural areas, income groups and people with reliable mobile data or electricity. The Ministry of Information and Civic Education supports public information policy. The Independent Media Commission, usually called the IMC, registers newspapers and magazines and licenses radio, television and direct-to-home services. The National Communications Authority, known as NatCA or NATCOM, handles frequencies, spectrum and related communications authorisations. The Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation provides public broadcasting, while the Sierra Leone News Agency supplies news material. The Right to Access Information Commission handles access-to-information complaints and enforcement, and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists supports professional self-regulation through its Code of Ethics. The Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone, the National Commission for Children and the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs also have media-related responsibilities in elections and child protection. A newspaper or magazine normally requires IMC registration and annual renewal. Applications may be submitted online or manually and generally include business-registration or incorporation documents, a business name, tax clearance from the National Revenue Authority, NASSIT information, the editor’s qualification, identification documents, tenancy evidence, an editorial guide or policy and a business plan. Provisional approval is followed by a mandatory signboard. Published IMC figures have included Le 5,000 for an application, Le 7,000 for inspection and Le 3,000 for annual registration, but fee schedules and currency redenomination details require confirmation with the IMC before payment. Complaints may go to the IMC Complaints Committee, which can require a warning, correction, retraction, apology, reprimand or fine. An appeal to the High Court can generally be made within 30 days of the relevant decision. Radio, television and direct-to-home broadcasting follow a separate licensing path. The applicant submits material to the IMC, attends a Technical Committee interview, obtains Board consideration, pays the applicable fee, receives a frequency allocation from NatCA and then completes licensing. Applications can require a three-year financial projection, coverage of towns and villages, technical specifications, a proposed site and identification documents for board members. Published figures have included a Freetown processing or site fee of Le 15,000, a fee of Le 20,000 outside Freetown, commercial radio licensing at Le 10,000, television at Le 15,000, community or religious broadcasting at Le 5,000 and direct-to-home licensing at USD 1,000. These figures should be checked directly with the IMC and NatCA because current published schedules are not fully consistent. NatCA’s general authorisation target refers to acknowledgement within five days and a response within 60 days, but no media-specific processing guarantee has been identified. Broadcasting categories include community, commercial, public, religious, teaching and rebroadcast services. Licensed broadcasters submit quarterly programme schedules and should provide at least 10 hours each week of public-service broadcasting covering national, regional or local governance, education, health, human rights and the needs of people with disabilities. Rules also address local production and culture, accessibility and affordability where spectrum permits. Broadcasters use programme ratings such as G, GP and RV, parental guidance, age limits, warnings and watershed periods. Violent, pornographic, obscene or otherwise harmful content for children is restricted. Live broadcasts and phone-in programmes require a delay and caller screening. Journalists and broadcasters are also expected to follow the SLAJ Code of Ethics, including accuracy, fairness, source protection and restrictions on incitement and hate. On-demand services deliver audiovisual content over the internet at a time and on a device chosen by the recipient. They may be free-to-air, subscription-based, commercially funded or publicly funded. An online service generally falls within the institutional media framework when a media institution exercises editorial control. Third-party aggregators and social distribution can be included, while personal blogs and ordinary social posts are outside that definition unless a media institution controls them. Sierra Leone has no dedicated national regulator for streaming platforms. Institutional online, on-demand or direct-to-home services may instead encounter IMC registration or licensing, NatCA connectivity or spectrum rules and the Cyber Security and Crime Act 2021. Personal social-media publishing is generally outside the IMC definition of an institutionally controlled online service. There is no separate public regulator with a general platform content-removal pathway. A user can report content through the platform and may also use the police or courts where conduct falls under applicable law. The Cyber Security and Crime Act 2021 addresses cyberstalking, cyberbullying, child sexual material and the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images or voices. Journalists remain subject to professional duties even when publishing through social media. Cabinet approved a National Data Protection Policy in 2026, but a proposed combined Data Protection and Right to Access Information Bill and a related authority remained in transition in the available evidence and should not be treated as fully enacted law. Freedom of expression and freedom of the press are constitutionally protected, including the right to receive and impart information and to own media through permitted forms. These rights remain subject to public safety and order, morality, reputation, confidentiality, court rules and communications regulation. Part V of the Public Order Act, which covered criminal and seditious libel, was repealed in 2020. The IMC Act 2020, the 2022 Print and Electronic Media Regulations and the SLAJ Code of Ethics form part of the current professional framework. The National Information and Media Policy approved in 2025 addresses digital governance, responsible artificial intelligence and media modernisation. Public funding can affect media sustainability: a government subvention of NLe 2.7 million for SLAJ was announced for 2025, and the first National Fund for Public Interest Media grants went to 14 outlets. These funding arrangements make independence and sustainability relevant when assessing coverage, even though no independent national audience-measurement system is evidenced. Election reporting is governed by the IMC Elections Coverage and Reporting Regulations 2022 and the ECSL Media Code of Conduct 2017. Coverage should be truthful, fair, accurate and impartial, with pluralism, diversity and equal opportunity for political parties and candidates. Media organisations must not offer inducements, and notice of party activity should generally be given at least 48 hours in advance. Press access can require accreditation through the ECSL or IMC. Complaints may be heard publicly by a complaints committee, with a target of one month unless further investigation is required. Possible sanctions include correction, retraction, a fine or suspension. Community radio, public-service broadcasting, delayed phone-in programmes and online or social distribution can support participation, while formal requests for public information provide another channel. The Right to Access Information Act 2013 gives every person access to information held by public authorities. Access to a private body may also be available where it is necessary to enforce or protect the right. The right covers information held in print, broadcast and electronic forms. A request normally begins with the relevant authority and remains subject to statutory response rules, fees and exemptions. The Right to Access Information Commission, or RAIC, can investigate complaints, order release, impose fines and monitor compliance. Children’s media protection combines watershed rules, content classification and restrictions on material harmful to children. The Cyber Security and Crime Act protects children under 18 against specified online sexual offences, and the Child Rights Act 2025 was signed. The National Commission for Children and the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs provide relevant child-protection functions. Consumers can raise disputes involving licensed communications providers through NatCA’s complaints unit. The unit’s stated investigation-start target is within 14 days, and possible orders include service restoration, a refund or a financial sanction, with appeal to the High Court. The Universal Access Development Fund supports mobile and fixed internet, emergency communications, digital services and public-access projects. Selected providers receive support through tender, and tariffs are expected to be affordable and non-discriminatory. NatCA offices are evidenced in Bo, Kenema, Koidu, Makeni and Port Loko. No reliable consolidated current count of active media outlets, national dataset on youth media use or independent data-protection authority has been established in the available evidence.