"In sub-Saharan Africa, 495 million people (46 percent of the population) subscribed to mobile phones in 2020, however, the cost of accessing the internet is very high and many African Governments are renowned for restricting access to the internet to limit critics and their opposition through inter
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net shutdowns, especially ahead of elections. There is widespread government surveillance in many countries in Africa without sufficient legal basis. In Zimbabwe, for example, the interception of private communications is permitted without a warrant issued by a court; instead, the Minister of Transport and Communication has the power to order such surveillance. Many countries in Africa and around the world have passed cybercrime legislation in recent years or are about to do so. There is great concern that many of these laws over-reach their legitimate aim, lack clear definitions and are susceptible to being used for regulating online content and restricting freedom of expression." (Page 1)
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"There are over 250 radio stations in Mali, and two TV stations that serve a population of 16 million, of whom one of every five own a TV set. The author argues that Mali’s state broadcaster ORTM must use the opportunity of a new political dispensation and usher in urgent reforms if its rich histo
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ry of media proliferation, political pluralism and democracy are to be consolidated. He further makes the case for the urgent need by the new Malian government to revisit state policy on the digital switch over, an eminent process that Mali must undertake. Failing which, all the gains that the country has made could be lost." (www.afrimap.org)
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"Kenya’s liberalisation of the airwaves since the mind-1990s has resulted in the transformation of broadcasting with numerous stations now serving as a platform for information and public debate. This has promoted a culture of participation in the democratic process, and has impacted positively to
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ward good governance. However, the report, written by Grace Githaiga, does argue the need for media laws and regulations on the statute books to align with the country’s new constitution; top amongst which, is the urgent need for a new Kenya Broadcasting Corporation Act. The report provides evidence showing that KBC is both by law and practice, controlled by government, and is used largely to promote the interest of government alone. This, the report further states, goes against the Declaration of Principles of Freedom of Expression in Africa, which espouses for state broadcasters to be transformed into public broadcasters, independent of government and free from political and economic manipulation." (www.afrimap.org)
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"Public broadcasting has a lot of friends in the world today - but they do not always seem to be loving quite the same thing, and certainly not for the same reasons. For some, the term merely refers to radio and television which is not commercial, following the common distinction between public and
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private enterprises. For others it means a service provided to the public - much like public schools or public health facilities. And just as there is general agreement that these will be provided by the state for the benefit of all citizens, the same is taken to apply to broadcasting. Terms like national broadcaster or state broadcaster or public broadcaster are thus used interchangeably, as if they all denoted one and the same thing. For yet another group of friends, public broadcasting is the natural home of all that is great and good and worthy on the airwaves, far removed from the plain offerings of commercialism and entertainment. This Tool Box will dissect some of these myths and misperceptions, so that an informed debate can be held on what exactly public broadcasting is all about, and to assist its real friends in civil society in their advocacy work. It will describe more precisely what makes a public broadcaster the very opposite of a state broadcaster, what it can do and should be doing, and how it will be controlled, financed, organised and run in order to succeed." (Pages 3-4)
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"This Tool Box is meant to help keep up the pressure on the authorities not just to pay lip service to the idea of free access to information but to implement it. It will describe in some more detail why such access is an essential citizen's right and how it can be exercised efficiently, without com
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promising other rights or legitimate concerns in the process. It will also look at those pieces of existing legislation that need to be reviewed to ensure open and transparent government." (Page 6)
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