Tafouk TV, the joint television channel of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), has launched its official programme schedule from Bamako, Mali, marking a new phase in the confederation’s efforts to build a shared regional media platform.
The schedule began broadcasting at 08:00 local time on 16 September. However, the development represents the launch of Tafouk TV’s programming rather than the channel itself. The service has been available since March 2026 on digital terrestrial television in Burkina Faso and through the Canal+ Afrique bouquet on channel 387.
The channel is also available via satellite, including Badr 8 at 26° East and Intelsat 35e at 34.5° West in clear transmission, while its Canal+ Afrique distribution is carried in an encrypted package on SES 4 at 22° West.
The launch of the programme schedule had initially been announced for 1 June but was subsequently delayed by approximately 15 weeks.
Tafouk TV is headed by Director General Salif Sanogo, the former director of information and director general of Mali’s national broadcaster ORTM. Sanogo has also worked with Africa No. 1, the BBC and RFI.
The channel’s board is chaired by Hélène Ayika, a Nigerien journalist and technical adviser to Niger’s communication minister. She was appointed in May through a decision signed by AES Confederation President Captain Ibrahim Traoré and formally installed in Bamako in June.
Programming is being delivered in French and national languages, initially across four languages, with plans to expand to eight. Its content mix includes news, current affairs and magazine programmes, educational and cultural content, as well as programming focused on AES policies and regional integration.
Tafouk TV forms part of a wider confederal media infrastructure being developed by the three AES member states — Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. It operates alongside Daande Liptako, the confederal radio service based in Ouagadougou, which broadcasts on 94.0 FM with relays in Bamako and Niamey. A confederal press agency is also planned for Niamey.
In July, Russia’s RT signed a content and expertise-sharing agreement with Tafouk TV, becoming the channel’s first international partner.
Mali’s Ministry of Communication has positioned Tafouk TV as an instrument for strengthening information sovereignty, promoting regional culture and supporting integration among the three AES countries.
During a visit to Bamako on 17 September, Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop described confederal communication as an important area of cooperation alongside defence, diplomacy and development.
The development gives the AES a dedicated television platform through which it can coordinate regional programming and communicate its policies and activities to audiences across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
