Listeners across northern Nigeria were met with silence and confusion last month when the Voice of America (VOA) Hausa-language service suddenly went off air — replaced by music, a disruption that, in the region’s experience, often signals a military takeover or political upheaval.
The abrupt disappearance of the US-funded broadcast triggered panic. “Was there a coup in the US?” one worried listener asked, according to VOA journalist Babangida Jibrin, as he and his colleagues were inundated with calls from confused audiences across Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, and Cameroon.
The blackout follows the dismantling of VOA services under former President Donald Trump’s administration, which enacted sweeping cuts to international media outlets funded by the U.S. government. For the Hausa-speaking population—tens of millions strong and often in rural areas with limited internet or print access—VOA served as a critical lifeline for independent, reliable news in a language they understand.
Jibrin, who worked for the now-defunct Hausa-language service, said the impact of the shutdown is severe. In regions where English and French are not widely spoken, and where digital access is inconsistent, the loss of local-language broadcasting creates a dangerous information vacuum.
The closure has not only weakened U.S. soft power and influence in West Africa but also eroded a trusted source of information in one of the most volatile and underserved media landscapes on the continent. Stakeholders are now calling for a reevaluation of the cuts and exploring alternative models to restore and sustain indigenous-language broadcasting in vulnerable regions.
“People are now cut off from news, especially international news,” said Moussa Jaharou, from southern Niger, among the many VOA Hausa listeners living in poor areas prone to conflict and jihadist violence who now find themselves further isolated.