Mid-19th Century Press Expansion (1858–1874)

In 1858, Charles Bannerman — the son of a British lieutenant governor and an Asante princess — founded the Accra Herald, recognized as the first African-produced newspaper in West Africa. Unlike the colonial-run press, this handwritten paper reached primarily African readers, circulating among some 300 subscribers. It focused on local issues, social commentary, and matters…

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Early newspapers in Africa

The first English newspaper on the continent of Africa was published in Cape Town in 1800. The following year in Sierra Leone, The Royal Gazette and Sierra Leone Advertiser were published in Freetown. Both were European undertakings concerned with matters of government. In 1826, Charles Force, an American freed slave, published the Liberia Herald. He…

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