Télé Africa is a Gabonese private television channel. A generalist channel aiming a wide audience, it airs a varied schedule with news, current affairs programs and entertainment.
It is the oldest private station in French-speaking Africa.[1]
Télé Africa was the first private television station to start operations in Gabon, in 1988, breaking a 25-year monopoly pertaining to Radio Télévision Gabonaise. The launch was on March 10, 1988, during the height of single-party rule, with its inauguration featuring then-president Ali Bongo. With its coverage limited to Libreville, it was initially a subscription television station, similar to Canal+ in France, with the majority of the channel's schedule consisting of newly-released feature films (the majority of which were American). Ahead of the 1993 presidential elections, Télé Africa changed to a free-to-air television channel, extending its coverage area to other provinces.[2]
In 1998, the channel, owned by TVsat, was made encrypted again. Since 2007, the channel has been facing management difficulties which led to constant strikes, interrupting programming for weeks or even months.[2] The latest strike was announced in April 2021 after Steeve Chasa Ondo, alias "Sinsho", deposited a strike warning on March 11. Another executive, Regis Massimba, named director of programming in February, wanted to make the channel's programs, up until then "undigested", more attractive and dynamic.[3]