The annual report, launched by SquirrelPR, now tracks digital media performance across 13 African countries, up from five markets last year. 

It examines traffic, trust signals, audience behaviour, search influence and platform authority across the continent.

Speaking at the launch of the Ranked 2026 report, Jonah Solomon, co-founder and chief executive officer of SquirrelPR, said the project began after an overseas user asked a question about which Nigerian journalists should receive a press release.

“When we started Ranked report, it was after we launched SquirrelPR, and a user overseas called us and said, I see over 1000 journalists on this platform, but who should I send my release to in Nigeria?”

He said what began as a manual solution later became a structured ranking product first focused on Nigeria before expanding across Africa.

“We started with Nigeria and when we rolled it out, we realised that the publishers themselves found it more valuable than even the PR managers were targeting.”

This year’s edition covered Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Tunisia, among others.

Traffic Falling, Influence Shifting

Presenting the keynote address, Keni Akintoye, CEO and lead strategist at KT Communications, said the media industry must stop relying only on traffic numbers to judge success.

“For years, we understood digital media performance through a familiar lens, which is traffic, reach impressions, bounce rates,” he said.

“But today, the signals are different.”

Akintoye said audiences now consume information through search summaries, social feeds, aggregated platforms and algorithmic recommendations, usually without visiting the original publisher’s website.

“The consuming content, forming opinions, doing all they used to do without arriving at the source.”

He added that influence has not disappeared, but moved.

“It is no longer who publishes. It is who is believed.”

According to him, credibility is becoming more valuable than clicks in an era impacted by artificial intelligence and fragmented attention.

“The future of African media will not be defined by who is loudest. It will be defined by who is most intentional.”

What the Data Showed

Solomon said the Ranked 2026 report used 12 months of historical data sourced from Similarweb, Ahrefs, Google Analytics, Google Trends and other tools.

A total of 131 news platforms were tracked. Across Nigeria, combined traffic dropped from more than one billion visits to 769 million visits.

He said the decline should not be seen as newsroom failure.

“It simply means that the audiences have moved upstream, and you need to find out how to reach them.”

He added that domain authority, a measure of how trusted and established a website is in search ecosystems, was stronger and more stable than traffic, making it a more reliable indicator of influence.

“Traffic becomes less reliable, then Domain Authority has emerged as the most consistent indicator of influence.”

The report also found that several major Nigerian publishers now receive a notable share of traffic from outside the country, while entertainment and cultural sites continue to attract stronger local audiences.

Nigeria Category Leaders

In entertainment and lifestyle, leading names included Google, BellaNaija and other established outlets.

In technology media, Techpoint Africa was the traffic leader, followed by TechCabal and emerging platforms such as TechNext and Techeconomy.

In business and finance, Nairametrics led.

For general news and current affairs, Vanguard topped traffic rankings, ahead of Punch, Legit, Sahara Reporters and The Nation.

SquirrelPR 2.0 Unveiled

The event also featured the launch of SquirrelPR 2.0, a rebuilt version of the company’s communications platform.

James Ezechukwu, co-founder and chief technology officer, said the upgraded system now includes an AI press release generator, language translation tools, media discovery, instant journalist messaging, project management functions and client management features for PR agencies.

“Our goal as SquirrelPR is to be the core operating system for PR in Africa,” he said.

The company also introduced a monitoring solution designed to help organisations track media mentions and public conversations in real time.

The event, which was planned for 60 attendees, had guest registrations exceeding 80, showing an increasing interest in data-led communications and media intelligence.

Closing the event, Ezechukwu said: “The reward for good work is more work.”

Yet, amidst the chaos that surrounds us, there is a glimmer of understanding – albeit tenuous.

Understandably, the average Nigerian youth is preoccupied with grappling with their basic needs, leaving little room for contemplation on the deeper issues plaguing our country.

However, Maya Angelou’s words ring true: “The root cause of all the problems we have in the world today is ignorance, of course. But most of all, polarization.”

Our steadfast refusal to acknowledge grey areas and our entrenched polarization are corrosive forces, eroding the very fabric of our nationhood.

This polarization is exacerbated daily by the Nigerian media, which thrives on our chaos. From sensationalized headlines to unverified information and clickbait tactics, the media’s modus operandi seems more aligned with profiting from discord than fostering unity.

In an era dominated by social media, where snackable content reigns supreme, substantive journalism often takes a backseat.

The media landscape, for the most part, is dominated by negativity. As Peter McWilliams astutely observed, “Bad news gets higher ratings and sells more than good news.”

Yet, while this may explain the media’s penchant for sensationalism, it does not absolve them of their responsibility to uphold ethical standards.

As a media professional myself, I am acutely aware of the dilemma faced: conform to popular narratives or champion truth and integrity.

However, it is imperative to recognize that within the realm of media ethics lies the duty to promote patriotism, advocate for peace, and foster national unity – values that are indispensable for our country’s progress.

Every day, our nation’s image is tarnished, perpetuating a cycle of negativity that only serves to deepen our woes. The media, complicit in perpetuating ignorance among the youth, capitalizes on their susceptibility to misinformation and sensationalism.

It is incumbent upon young Nigerians to realize that ignorance is no longer a viable excuse; we must arm ourselves with knowledge and engage in the discourse surrounding governance and politics if we are to fulfill our potential as future leaders.

However, our current approach – merely skimming the surface of our problems – is akin to pruning a tree’s branches without addressing its root.

It offers no lasting solutions, only temporary respite from our collective anguish. This is an exposé on how the Nigerian media perpetuates chaos and how the youth must resist being mere pawns in their game for clicks and ratings.

In conclusion, the onus is on us, the youth of Nigeria, to rise above the fray and reclaim our narrative. We must demand accountability from the media, empower ourselves with knowledge, and actively participate in shaping the future of our nation.

Only then can we hope to transcend the chaos and build a Nigeria we can all be proud of.

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Tofunmi Akinseye, CEO and Publisher of Savvy Media Africa, is a highly accomplished professional in the media and communications field.

Funded by MacArthur Foundation, NAMIP seeks to help these media companies increase revenues, test new business models and instill financial discipline so as to reduce the challenges of unsustainable business models, grant dependency, and poor diversity of reliable news and information sources.

Benefits 

Winners of the NAMIP Sustainable Challenge will be awarded grants of up to $50,000 for their projects. The programme will provide coaching and tailored technical assistance to these media outlets.

NAMIP will also provide these early-stage outlets and established organizations with the tools they need to develop and continuously revise their models on the path to sustainability.

Interventions will include workshops and training, support from experts/consultants, community sharing and learning, and other bespoke assistance, as well as tools needed to experiment, so these media companies can grow revenues and reach new audiences.

The 3-year programme will support 25 independent media, ranging from early-stage, small scale outlets to larger, more established players, serving both urban and rural audiences of mainstream and underserved populations.

Eligibility 

• Existing independent media companies, a non-profit or a new venture can apply
• Mission-driven companies and organizations passionate about trying new approaches to local news and information
• Applicants who don’t have traditional journalism and media backgrounds, particularly from the areas of technology, design and business can apply 
• Applicants with independent radio (both community and commercial radio) and TV platforms who are developing unique strategies to reach their audiences can also apply

Note: participants who applied in the first call but were not successful are still eligible to apply again.

Existing independent media companies, non-profit media and new ventures should have projects or news products that address one or more of the following focus areas:

Digital native products: Do you employ new and innovative approaches to collecting news and information, and to reporting, storytelling and distribution, that embrace the possibilities of technology?

Reaching rural communities: Are you developing or have developed innovative approaches to reach and empower people outside of major urban areas, and those generally under-served by existing news media?

Technology innovation for distribution: Are you developing or have developed new media technology that distributes local news in a cost-effective and sustainable way?

New Revenue opportunities: Do you explore innovative solutions to revenue challenges that media companies face – how can we open up new revenue streams to make media organizations more sustainable and independent?

Transition to digital: Are you finding and implementing solutions, products or processes that assist legacy media to transform their businesses?

How to apply 

Do you meet the above criteria? Then apply before the deadline on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.