Hassan Y. Koroma, manager of Radio Gbafth, outside its new studio building, built with FWA support.

Radio Gbafth 91.0 FM

"The Voice Of The People"

Town Of Mile 91, Tonkolili District,
Sierra Leone

Radio Gbafth, which was launched as a service to refugees during Sierra Leone’s civil, is the country’s first community-owned radio station. “Gbafth” means ‘openness’ in the Temne language of Tonkolili District.

Like most stations located in areas without centralized electricity, Radio Gbafth’s greatest operating cost has been the fueling and repair of generators that power the station. The station is pioneering a new approach to power generation by partnering with cell phone companies to

FWA contributed $12,600 to help Radio Gbafth relocate its studio from a remote location to the center of Mile 91, adjacent to a cell phone tower owned by GSM Companies. FWA support helped purchase building materials such as zinc, cement, lumber and hardware. The station now draws power from GSM’s generator 24 hours a day, in exchange for airing the company’s advertising jingles.