HAAC: Édouard Loko nurtures the hope of a more responsible and autonomous media landscape
The seventh term of the High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) opened on Wednesday, 25 February 2026, its first ordinary session of the year 2026.
The seventh term of the High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) opened on Wednesday, 25 February 2026, its first ordinary session of the year 2026.
The regulatory authority opened the said ordinary session for 2026, with a clear message: guiding media actors toward a culture of responsibility and internal regulation that, in due course, will reduce the need for external interventions.
The opening ceremony was held under the presidency of the institution’s president, Édouard LOKO, in the presence of his peers, government representatives, partners from the audiovisual sector, and professional media organizations.
In his remarks, the HAAC president stressed the institution’s essential mission: to ensure adherence to ethical rules in the national audiovisual space, while also working to strengthen the professionalization of actors in the sector.
He reaffirmed the regulatory body’s commitment to guiding Beninese media toward greater editorial maturity, capable, ultimately, of producing high-quality content without systematically resorting to corrective measures.
The HAAC president in particular stressed that self-regulation must be gradually integrated into professional practices. According to him, a truly autonomous media landscape is one where professionals themselves equip themselves with internal mechanisms of control, ethics and transparency, thereby reducing dependence on the regulator’s intervention.
The session also addressed the sector’s current challenges, particularly in the fight against misinformation, respect for privacy, protection of children in media content, as well as the imperative of responsible information in a context of multiplying digital sources.
President Édouard Loko did not overlook the upcoming presidential elections. He thanked media professionals who showed responsibility during and after the joint elections held on 11 January 2026.
He expects the same level of responsibility for the April 2026 presidential election.
