Agboville, a town in southern Côte d’Ivoire, has been deprived of newspapers as a result of a financial dispute between the national newspaper distribution company, Edipresse, and the local wholesale dealer who has a monopoly over distribution in the town.
According to the Ivorian Press Agency (l’Agence Ivoirienne de Presse-AIP) which reported this problem on July 23, 2015, the town has not received any newspapers from Edipresse since July 3. Due to the lack of supply from the wholesaler, small outlets in Agboville that retail newspapers have had to close down.
“Edipresse reckons that I still owe them money, a claim I strongly challenge”, the wholesale dealer reportedly said.
The MFWA’s correspondent in Côte d’Ivoire reported that very few people are able to get newspapers from the drivers of transport companies who ply the Abidjan-Agboville route.
“This is not the first [time] that a personal dispute has affected Agboville,” our correspondent said. “In September, 2013, fixed telephone service was cut and has not been restored up-to-date as a result of a land dispute between the concession holder, Côte d’Ivoire Télécom, and an individual in Agboville. Now the town is without newspapers.”
