Henceforth, a partnership and co-development agreement now links the media groups Africable and Hadafo. It is about 2 major companies in the West African communications sector generally and specifically in the audiovisual segment.

Based in Mali, Africable groups 2 TVchannels, an advertising agency, the communications agency Perroquet, a digital cable company Multicanal, as well as Datcom Afrique, a company specialising in telecoms and IT engineering. Moreover, Africable is a partner of TNTSAT Africa, the digital TV satellite platform. As for the Guinean group Hadafo, it comprises a TV channel Espace and 5 radio stations.

The alliance between Africable and Hadafo will give rise to several projects including the imminent launch of 2 TV channels which will be free on the TNTSAT Africa bouquet.

The first will be dedicated to the presidential elections scheduled this year in Guinea, Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire. The channel will be called “Election 2015”. The second TV channel will endure and be dedicated to Mandé culture, which spreads over several regions in West Africa and is the principal centre of the Mandingo people's history.

The agreement signed on 2 August 2015 also foresees the addition of Hadafo's Espace TV and five radio stations in TNTSAT Africa's bouquet for free. In exchange, the digital TV satellite platform will spread out to cover Guinea. Moreover, Africable and Hadafo will co-produce TV programmes, series and films; just as the two groups will exchange programmes, organise events and undertake actions in a win-win partnership.

The concept of co-development between the two private press companies is said to be new to Africa. In any case, for the CEO of Hadafo Media, Lamine Guirassy (photo), “we must join forces to successfully achieve things in Africa”. As for Ismaila Sidibé, CEO of the group Africable, he is just as optimistic.