SquirrelPR’s RANKED 2025 report unveils major shifts in Africa’s digital news landscape
By Abimbola Mohammad
A groundbreaking report by SquirrelPR, a leading online media relations management platform,
the “RANKED 2025,” has unveiled a dramatic transformation in Africa’s digital news consumption, showcasing unprecedented growth and significant shifts in media influence.
Presented by co-founder Jonah Solomon during a virtually webinar, the report, which analyzed over 300 digital platforms across Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, and Ghana, revealed a dynamic and rapidly evolving media ecosystem.
The released inaugural pan-African digital news platform analysis, #RANKED2025, offered unprecedented insights into the consumption patterns and emerging trends across five of Africa’s largest markets: Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, and Ghana.
One of the key findings highlights the exceptional digital reach of Egypt’s Youm7, an Arabic-language platform that recorded over 450 million website visits in 2024, significantly surpassing the country’s population of approximately 114 million.
The report attributes this surge to Egypt’s growing internet penetration, a large youth demographic, and the broader regional appeal of Arabic-language content across the Middle East and North Africa.
SquirrelPR’s co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, James Ezechukwu, emphasized the company’s commitment to data credibility through rigorous analysis across the covered countries.
Meanwhile, co-founder Jonah Solomon noted that the report’s expansion provides immense value for businesses, PR professionals, and media practitioners seeking to make informed decisions in the industry and drive audience engagement through compelling content.
The RANKED 2025 report introduces a tiered ranking system that categorizes platforms based on annual website visits.
Tier 1, comprising outlets with over 100 million visits, includes Youm7, News24, Daily Nation, GhanaWeb, and Vanguard Online. This system distinguishes high-traffic mass-appeal platforms from specialized niche outlets, offering a detailed understanding of media influence.
The study underscores the strong correlation between social media engagement and digital influence, with outlets that boast robust social media followings ranking higher.
It further identifies significant growth opportunities in niche sectors such as business, technology, and entertainment. South Africa leads in business and technology, while Nigeria excels in entertainment, whereas Ghana and Kenya present untapped opportunities across multiple niches.
The analysis also highlights that the five countries collectively recorded over 4 billion digital news visits in 2024, demonstrating a significant shift in audience behavior and media influence across the continent.
This shift is driven by increasing internet penetration, the proliferation of mobile technology, and the growing reliance on digital platforms for news consumption.
Another key takeaway is the role of digital PR and SEO strategies in sustaining brand visibility. The report provides actionable insights for professionals, allowing them to identify the most influential media platforms for targeted campaigns, align content strategies with demonstrated audience behavior, negotiate more effectively with media partners based on quantifiable influence levels, strengthen crisis response frameworks by understanding media reach, and leverage digital PR and SEO strategies for sustained brand visibility.
Rasheed Bolarinwa, President of the Association of Corporate Affairs Managers of Banks, praised the report as insightful and a game changer, recognizing its potential to revolutionize industry practices through data credibility.
The findings suggest that organizations and brands must prioritize digital engagement strategies to remain relevant in an increasingly competitive media landscape.
By providing detailed insights, the RANKED 2025 report equips professionals with data to navigate Africa’s evolving digital media ecosystem effectively.
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