Media in Benin: the HAAC opens the allocation of new TV and radio frequencies

The High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication of Benin (HAAC) has issued a call for applications for the granting of new licenses for private audiovisual services, according to an official statement signed by its president, Edouard C. Loko, and published on Monday, May 18. The call concerns three categories of services: private television channels broadcast on Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), private satellite television channels, and private radio broadcasting stations. The deadline for submitting applications is set for Friday, July 3, 2026, at 5:00 PM sharp.

Applications are open to individuals and legal entities that meet the conditions specified in the terms of reference available on the institution’s official portal. The applications must be submitted in two versions: a physical version in a sealed envelope submitted to the HAAC’s Central Secretariat Service in Guinkomey or in the regional directorates, and an electronic version sent via the platform “Call for Applications 2026.” The application fees, non-refundable and payable to the public treasury under the title “Application Fee 2026/HAAC,” amount to 520,000 CFA francs for DTT televisions, 520,000 CFA francs for satellite televisions, and 350,000 CFA francs for radio stations.

This call comes a few weeks after two structuring decisions made by the HAAC. On March 11, 2026, by decision n°26-008/HAAC, the institution authorized 26 web TVs, 13 web radios, and 50 online news sites to operate officially, marking the first wave of regulation of Benin’s digital media. On April 28, 2026, by decision n°26-018/HAAC, it reorganized the first DTT multiplex: the current configuration now has 21 slots and 19 services, after the integration of Bénin TV Junior and the Info SBIR channel from the Beninese Broadcasting Infrastructure Company (SBIR S.A) and the removal of TiVi5 Monde and Radio Parakou.

The call for applications dated May 18 targets the slots that have not yet been allocated on DTT and licenses for satellite broadcasters and radios that do not yet have an official frequency. The number of available frequencies has not been specified in the statement.

The Institutional and Regulatory Framework

The HAAC is one of the seven republican institutions provided for by the Beninese Constitution of December 11, 1990. It is composed of nine members appointed for a non-renewable five-year term, of which three are designated by the President of the Republic, three by the National Assembly Bureau, and three by media professionals. Edouard C. Loko presides over the seventh mandate. The institution is the custodian of the executive secretariat of the African Communication Regulatory Authorities Network (RIARC), created in Libreville in 1998.

This call for applications is based on the provisions of the law on digital broadcasting and the Code of Information and Communication in the Republic of Benin. The statement specifies that no applications will be accepted after the deadline of July 3, 2026.