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Commemorative Newsletter of the ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa

Hlengiwe Dube (ed.)

Windhoek: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) (2024), 66 pp.

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Digital Ecosystem Country Assessment (DECA): Ghana

Reyn Anderson, Yaroslav Eferin, Kate Gromova, Vlad Manoil, Victor Teppeh

USAID, Digital Frontiers Project, external version (2024), 149 pp.

"Ghana is among Sub-Saharan Africa’s leaders in digital transformation. Over the past decade, the government has put the key institutions, legislative frameworks, strategies, and policies in place that are necessary to drive change. The Ministry of Communications and Digitalization leads and coord ... inates development and implementation of a core set of policies and strategies that are digitally transforming the government, economy, and society. The ICT for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) Policy has guided this journey for more than a decade. A new Digital Economy Policy is drafted and under review to drive the next stage of Ghana’s digital development. The National Financial Inclusion and Development Strategy and the National Cyber Security Policy and Strategy have also been key. Ghana adopted an inclusive approach to developing its cybersecurity strategy, which contributed to improved cybersecurity capacity and considered citizens’ online safety and freedoms. However, a clear strategy for protecting critical national infrastructure is missing. Ghana has been a pioneer and champion of digital government transformation in West Africa over the past decade, with funding and support from the World Bank. Important whole-of-government platforms and services have been put in place, including the Government Wide Area Network (GWAN), which provides internet connection to more than 1,000 district assemblies, hospitals, police stations, and post offices across the country; a National Data Center; the Smart workplace suite, which includes email and productivity tools for government employees; and Ghana.gov portal, a one-stop-shop for citizen services. Still, digital government transformation is incomplete. Easy, efficient, online government services are in demand, but the Ghana.gov portal options are limited, and most major government service providers have their own separate online services portals. The national identity Ghana Card could enhance digital service delivery by providing a universally recognized, secure, and easy-to-use means of digital identification and authentication for citizens when accessing both public and private digital services, but the current identification system is not integrated with other government-operated databases, significantly reducing its many potential applications. The Regional Coordinating Councils, and metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs) are just now embarking on the digital transformation journey. The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development coordinates their efforts. Challenges for Ghana’s remaining efforts at digital government transformation include adequate funding to manage and maintain its connectivity and data center infrastructure, affordable internet for regional governments, inadequate digital literacy and skills among mid-level and regional staff, or related national training programs. A big skill gap exists in cybersecurity; Ghana faces a deficit of skilled cybersecurity professionals. The government also needs to improve efforts at stakeholder engagement and awareness-raising when developing new policy proposals." (Executive summary, pages 11-12) more

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“When One Finger Picks Oil, It Reaches Others”: An Examination of Nigerian Journalists’ Perspective on Motivations for Online Harassment

Temple Uwalaka, A. Fred Amadi

African Journalism Studies, volume 44, issue 4 (2024), pp. 289-309

"Online harassment of journalists is increasingly becoming a global phenomenon. Many attempts have been made to investigate the prevalence of the phenomenon. Unfortunately, findings prove that online harassment of journalists is indeed on the rise. What is lacking, so far, in the literature is an in ... more

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Digital Platforms and the Global South: Reconfiguring Power Relations in the Cultural Industries

Philippe Bouquillion, Christine Ithurbide, Tristan Mattelart (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2024), xiii, 239 pp.

"This book addresses the issues raised by digital platforms in the Global South, with an emphasis on the cultural stakes involved. It brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers - including political economists, socio-economists, geographers, media sociologists or anthropologists - who ... more

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Press freedom and safety of journalists in Ghana 2024: An assessment based on the African Media Barometer

Gabriel Baglo

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2024), 26 pp.

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Interactive Radio Shows and the Role of New Information Brokers in the Republic of Benin

Tilo Grätz

Global Media Journal - German Edition, volume 14, issue 2 (2024), 21 pp.

"This study investigates interactive forms of public communication in the Republic of Benin (West Africa) with a specific focus on the emergence of new media actors. Benin’s media landscape features a variety of media formats, which are constantly incorporating interactive elements. These developm ... more

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Trends in political communication on air: Implications for democratic consolidation in Ghana

Samuel Pimpong

Cogent Arts & Humanities, volume 11, issue 1 24338505 (2024), 14 pp.

"The role of media in democratic governance is pivotal, yet its impact on democratic consolidation remains debated. This study investigates the relationship between radio activism and democratic consolidation in Ghana, focusing on the influence of political news production and communication strategi ... more

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Eyewitness Textures: User-Generated Content and Journalism in the Twenty-First Century

Michael Lithgow, Michèle Martin

Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press (2024), 365 pp.

"News consumers have come to expect and demand the unprecedented immediacy of experience and coverage of breaking news offered by photographs, video clips, audio recordings, tweets, commentary: content created by ordinary citizens. The use of user-generated content is a salient aspect of how journal ... more

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Mapping Lies in the Global Media Sphere

Tirse Erbaysal Filibeli, Melis Öneren Özbek (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2024), 224 pp.

"This volume addresses the concept of “(in)nocent lies” in the media – beyond the concept of misleading information online, this extends to a deliberate effort to spread misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories – and proposes a critical approach to tackle the issue in related i ... more

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Environmental Communication

Anabela Carvalho, Tarla Rai Peterson (eds.)

Berlin: de Gruyter Mouton (2024), xx, 600 pp.

"This handbook reviews extant research and offers critical summaries of key topics and issues in the field, enriched by authoritative analyses of specific cases and examples. It displays pluralism across a number of axes: epistemological, theoretical, geographical, cultural, and thematic. The first ... more

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Technologies socionumériques en Côte d'Ivoire : Formes d'engagement politique et médiatique

Tahirou Koné

Paris: L'Harmattan (2024), 166 pp.

"L'irruption du numérique et de l'Internet mobile a accéléré la transformation digitale de la société ivoirienne. Et, de plus en plus, des formes d'engagement politique et médiatique s'organisent avec l'utilisation des technologies socionumériques. Face à ces changements, la Côte d'Ivoire ... more

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Insurgency in northeast Nigeria: Are journalists safe to report?

Umaru A Pate, Abubakar Jibril

Journalism (2024), [no pag.]

"This article interrogates the effectiveness of the safety measures available for journalists in the challenging operational environment. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 16 journalists representing different organisations from the conflict-prone areas in northeast Nigeria. Finding ... more

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The Routledge Companion to Journalism in the Global South

Bruce Mutsvairo, Saba Bebawi, Eddy Borges-Rey (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2024), xxiv, 491 pp.

"Responding to mounting calls to decenter and decolonize journalism, The Routledge Companion to Journalism in the Global South examines not only the deep-seated challenges associated with the historical imposition of Western journalism standards on constituencies of the Global South but also the opp ... more

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Mass Communication in Africa: Conventions, Issues and New Paradigms. A Festschrift in Honour of Augustine Ufua Enahoro

Taye C. Obateru, Godfrey Naanlang Danaan, Daniel Cirman (eds.)

Augustine Ufua Enahoro (honoured person)

Jos, Plateu State (NI): University of Jos, Department of Mass Communication;Fab Anieh Nigeria Limited (2024), vii, 317 pp.

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Effectiveness of art therapy in reducing post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and the propensity to quit journalism among journalists covering banditry activities in Nigeria

Felix Olajide Talabi, Joshua Kayode Okunade, Joseph Moyinoluwa Talabi, Ishola Kamorudeen Lamidi, Samson Adedapo Bello, Blessing Chinweobo-Onoha, Gever Verlumun Celestine

Media, War & Conflict, volume 17, issue 4 (2024), pp. 445-462

"The goal of this study was to examine the efficacy of art therapy in the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the propensity to quit journalism among Nigerian journalists covering banditry attacks. The researchers utilized a quasi-experiment as the design for the study and sampled ... more

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RSF and 547 Community radios call for the protection and support of community radio stations in the Sahel

Paris: Reporters Sans Frontières (2024), 34 pp.

"We, the signatories of the appeal for the protection and support of community radio stations in the Sahel [...] call on the political authorities of the Sahel countries to combat impunity for crimes committed against community radio journalists by systematically opening investigations to ensure tha ... more

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Gaming in Africa

GeoPoll (2024), 30 slides

"GeoPoll’s latest report, “Gaming in Africa,” provides a detailed exploration of the burgeoning gaming scene across Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Drawing from the perspectives of more than 2,500 gamers, this report shines a light on the habits, preferences, and challenges of the Afr ... ican gaming community. Highlights from the survey include the following: The Prevalence of Mobile Gaming: The survey reveals a significant tilt towards mobile gaming, with an astounding 92% of respondents playing games on their mobile phones. This preference is driven by increasing smartphone penetration and the Android platform’s dominance, with 92% of respondents having downloaded games from the Google Play Store. Engagement: Gaming serves as a primary source of entertainment, relaxation, and a remedy for boredom for the majority of gamers, with 73% playing for fun and 64% for stress relief. Expenditure: Financial investment in gaming is noteworthy, with 63% of gamers having made a purchase related to gaming. The amount spent varies, with 29% spending between $2 to $5 monthly, illustrating a willing but cost-conscious gamer base. Navigating the Barriers: The report also identifies barriers to gaming purchases, with 47% preferring free games and 44% citing a lack of funds. The cost-related challenges extend beyond purchases, as gamers list the cost of data bundles (42%) and expensive gaming hardware (31%) among their top challenges. A Call for Cultural Representation: Over half of the respondents value cultural relevance in games, and a substantial 44% feel there are not enough games with characters that look like them or environments similar to their life, signaling an untapped market for local content creation. In-Game Advertising Insights: Despite mixed feelings about ads in games, a surprising 63% have made a purchase after seeing an ad in a game. This suggests that while ads may be met with some resistance, they remain a potent tool for engagement and monetization within the gaming ecosystem. The Local Gaming Scene: A striking 56% of respondents are unaware of any games made in Africa, highlighting a significant gap in visibility and market penetration for local developers. However, there is a growing interest in supporting local talent, with varied sentiments across countries regarding the importance of local games." (Key findings summary) more

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Strategic Communication Management for Development and Social Change: Perspectives from the African Region

Tsietsi Mmutle, Tshepang Bright Molale, Olanrewaju Olugbenga Akinola, Olebogeng Selebi (eds.)

Cham: Palgrave Macmillan (2024), xix, 287 pp.

"This book is the first of its kind within the African region to combine scholarly perspectives from the fields of Strategic Communication Management and Communication for Development and Social Change. It draws insights from scholars across the African continent by unravelling the complementary nat ... more

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Le prix des perturbations: Évaluation de l’impact économique des coupures d’Internet au Sénégal en 2023

Anirudh Tagat, Skyler Sallick

Internews (2024), 25 pp.

"Ce rapport a constaté une baisse vertigineuse de 1,3 point de pourcentage du produit intérieur brut (PIB) global associé aux coupures d’Internet en juin 2023. Cela se traduit grosso modto par une perte de 76,8 millions de dollars américains (46,86 milliards de francs CFA). Cette perte a princ ... ipalement affecté le secteur des services, qui a subi à lui seul une perte de 5,26 millions de dollars américains (3,23 milliards de francs CFA). En outre, les marchés financiers ont subi une grande partie des impacts des interruptions, les résultats suggérant que près de 1,43 milliard de dollars américains (871,5 milliards de francs CFA) ont été perdus en capitalisation boursière pendant la période des coupures d’Internet, ce qui représente près de 12 % de la valeur totale de la BRVM à l’époque. La baisse la plus significative, cependant, semble être tirée par le secteur des exportations, avec une perte substantielle de la valeur des échanges et des volumes qui semblent liés aux coupures d’Internet. Bien que nous ne puissions pas établir de causalité directe, l’analyse des indicateurs économiques complets suggère que la valeur globale des exportations a diminué de 0,6 point de pourcentage, ce qui se traduit par une perte substantielle de près de 2,46 milliards de dollars américains (1,505 trillion de francs CFA). En outre, le volume des exportations du port de Dakar a diminué de 3,93 points de pourcentage, ce qui a entraîné une perte d’environ 42 350 tonnes de marchandises exportées à la suite des coupures d’Internet. Ces résultats suggèrent que les impacts des interruptions ont une grande portée et qu’ils affectent certains secteurs plus que d’autres. Les résultats de l’enquête révèlent que l’interruption des paiements représente un défi important pour une économie confrontée à une coupure d’Internet. Les estimations de l’impact économique des coupures d’Internet sur le secteur financier confirment cet argument. Il est essentiel que la communauté internationale comprenne mieux ces conséquences économiques afin de faire pression sur les gouvernements pour qu’ils cessent d’avoir recours aux coupures d’Internet et qu’ils mettent en place des dispositifs visant à protéger les économies locales contre d’éventuelles perturbations à l’avenir." (Résumè, page 3) more

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Changements climatiques et médias au Mali, enjeux et problématique

Bréma Ely Dicko

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) (2024), 7 pp.