Morocco advances bid to become first African member of TV5MONDE governance

Morocco has taken a new step toward joining the governance of TV5MONDE, becoming the first African country to formally enter an accession process to the Francophone audiovisual network, reads a statement on Wednesday.

In a letter addressed on April 21, 2026 to the Swiss government, which currently holds the rotating presidency of TV5MONDE’s funding governments, Moroccan Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid officially confirmed Morocco’s interest in joining the partnership. He stated that Morocco’s commitment to meeting the membership criteria stems from «a convergence of values and a shared concern for transparency and good governance».

Founded in 1984 and now available in nearly 200 countries and territories, TV5MONDE is the world’s leading French-language audiovisual network and an operator of the Francophonie. Morocco could eventually join its six funding governments: Canada, France, Switzerland, the Principality of Monaco, Quebec, and Belgium’s Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.

The next stage will involve discussions between senior officials from the six member governments and their Moroccan counterparts to examine the practical modalities of the accession process.

TV5MONDE will also strengthen cooperation with Société nationale de radiodiffusion et de télévision (SNRT), led by Faïçal Laraïchi, through co-productions and the distribution of Moroccan content across the network’s ten linear channels and streaming platform TV5MONDE+.

The opening of TV5MONDE’s governance to African states was launched in 2025 by its six funding governments. Candidate countries must commit to respecting the network’s core values and editorial independence, as outlined in the TV5 Charter and its editorial ethics charter, which emphasize journalistic rigor, transparency, and pluralism.