The Sunday Mail
National Focus
Dr Jenfan Muswere
THE commemoration of the International Day for Universal Access to Information nudges us to reflect on the agency of information in framing national action.
Now, what is “national action”?
It is a body of concerted Government activities aimed at developing the livelihoods of the people.
In turn, the people support such development initiatives and hold the Government to account for its endeavours based on established enduring national values.
President Mnangagwa’s pre-August 23, 2023 signature milestones are a key indicator to what we term “national action”.
National action is an interactive process between the State and citizens for the attainment of common desired national development.
This interface has been catalysed by the convergence of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) with broadcast, connecting unconnected communities, extending the radio signal to the rural areas, introduction of post-Cabinet briefings in the New Dispensation, proliferation of the hybrid broadcasting model and migration from analogue to digital broadcasting.
As the information access ambassador, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde Dr E.D Mnangagwa, has physically reached every corner of our nation spelling out the national development agenda.
His development predisposition has been benchmarked by context-sensitive creation of innovative solutions to a nation’s problems and protecting its lasting aspirations.
The growth of mining, agriculture, technology, road construction, housing development; modernisation of ports of entry and massive local and foreign investment in all sectors of the economy are some of the success stories of the current administration’s goal for the attainment of inclusive national prosperity by 2030.
We have already reached our mining sector dividend target.
These achievements demonstrate that the State has played its requisite paternal role in delivering aspirations of the populace, notwithstanding some key challenges still facing our people.
These key policy deliverables must be profiled and disseminated by the media.
In so doing, the media becomes a principal facilitator of national consciousness-building.
Thanks to the exemplary attribute of our President to lead from the front, even in the most adverse moments that have confronted our nation.
As we grapple with the challenges of the future, we draw more inspiration from his solid stature.
Today, the media fraternity basks in the glory of the massive legislative, policy, regulatory and infrastructure inventions for the promotion of a robust ICT and broadcasting industry which is now digital.
The legislative thrust
Owing to the need to adhere to the constitutional imperatives of access to information and its role in aligning the populace to national action, the Second Republic has brought to life the some of the following:
l Zimbabwe Media Commission Act
l Freedom of Information Act
l Cyber and Data Protection Act
l The Repeal of Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA)
Policy and Regulatory Intervention
The ICT sector recorded various notable strides, which include, but are not limited, to the following:
l Smart Zimbabwe Master Plan
l The National Broadband Plan (2020-2030)
l Establishment of the e-government unit
l Tariff regulatory framework
l Use of the telecommunication pricing index that ensuring affordability and business availability
l Revision of the licensing framework to include satellite players
l Radio communication for education
l Use indigenous languages for radio broadcast
l Development of the New ICT Policy 2022-2025(now awaiting launching) Approved by Cabinet.
Infrastructure intervention
l The Second Republic has went further and championed the:
l Migration from analogue to digitalisation broadcast;
l Opening up and licensing of new media and broadcasting players;
l Opening up and licensing of new ICT players including Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs);
l Introduction of the National Mobile Broadband Plan;
l Licensing of more internet service providers;
l Creating a business friendly environment for private sector players to flourish;
l An infrastructure sharing policy;
l An auction system disbursement dedicated to the ICT sector;
l Upgrading of third generation to fifth generation licensing framework;
l Free access to 180 Community Information Centres across the country;
l National e-learning strategy for all schools especially in the marginalised areas; and
l Licensing and operationalisation of 14 community radio stations
All these combined substantiate the policy sincerity of our Government in promoting universal access to information.
With all these enablers, the media must champion positive national image construction; at the same time pursuing a resilient fight against the “pitfalls of national consciousness”.
As we enter the anti-sanctions month, as instructive of the moral value of the 25 October Anti-Sanctions Day, the media should be reminded of its role in advocating for the unconditional removal of the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
This is an important step in advancing national action against a colonial hegemonic evil and a menace to our sovereign integrity for the simple crime of our land reclamation.
In this instance, the call to national action entails demonstrating from all angles how Zimbabwe is surviving global economic sabotage which is being enforced by powerful nations of the world.
On the other hand, the media must be commended for facilitating a national action that produced a peaceful election which gave ZANU PF a new mandate.
The Media: A mirror to society?
Creating a globally competitive functionality of our media industry debunks the narrow and primordial view of the sector as a mere “mirror to society”.
The relegation of the media as a mirror to society renders it passive and vulnerable to its handling forces’ ideological biases.
This metaphoric mirror’s angling as limiting to the dimension to which the same society is seen by others and how it in turn sees itself.
In our context, the mirror persona of the media has been the source of polarisation and advancement of a split patriotic consciousness aimed at discrediting Government anchored national development.
We have witnessed a one-sided scandal-mongering media focused on hyping unmerited corruption stories in the corridors of power.
Such an anti-national mirroring of our society has buttressed the unjustified neo-colonial framing of our national reputation.
This has continued to haemorrhage the Government’s engagement and re-engagement.
Such a media slant feeds well into the regime-change ecosystem.
Zimbabwe now has at least 14 community radio stations and six operational campus radio stations in Zimbabwe that have been brought about by advancement in digital technology.
These community radio stations have empowered citizens as they have access to vital information.
Some citizens have received training in digital broadcasting, thus capacitating communities they operate from.
More is being done to ensure that these stations remain operational and our doors remain open to engagement with critical stakeholders in developing a sustainable strategy for them.
With all these milestones, the media must be capacitated to be a driver of national action, and the ministry stands ready to support this cause.
Experiencing the state of the media
Immediately after being sworn in as the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, the ministry took the initiative to have assessment tours of all major studios and newsrooms.
This ongoing familiarisation exercise was influenced by our desire to understand how best we can assist the media industry to a robust, modern, effective and credible industry.
We are keen on appreciating how the media’s ideation role generates revenue, especially in the context of big tech digital companies. The Ministry is enthusiastic creating a high level of market viability.
The ministry is committed to understanding the working conditions of our dedicated men and women who have taken it upon themselves to inform the nation.
We are particularly enthusiastic about developing a universal business model for the growth of the media industry.
An equally digitalised media industry entails a competitive equilibrium space for all hardworking players to thrive.
ICT Proliferation and the
hybrid broadcasting model
Digital technology is making it possible to communicate with multitudes at the click of a button, unlike in the past when the only reliable source for news was from mainstream media.
Today, almost everyone is practicing journalism if they have a smartphone gadget connected to the Internet.
The advent of convergence has resulted in an increase in online news outlets as people migrate to online platforms.
This has allowed citizens to make informed choices and decisions after accessing vital information that is critical for personal and economic development.
Notably, mainstream media is now going digital, affording citizens an opportunity to wield selection choice on who to listen to or watch and at what time.
With enhanced accessed to information through the various digital platforms comes the problem of misinformation and disinformation on online spaces.
To this end, Government stands ready to work with stakeholders on capacity-building initiatives for citizens and policymakers as part of efforts to counter misinformation and disinformation.
At the same time, media information literacy has become critical in equipping citizens with the education on fact-checking and verification of information and, in the process, being able to separate fact from fiction.
Today, most Governments are grappling with managing multitudes of information being shared by citizens on various social media platforms such as X, Facebook, WhatsApp and TikTok, among others.
To ensure all online media consumers are protected, Government enacted the Cyber and Data Protection Act.
This legislation seeks to enforce that there is safety and security in the cyber space. Government has made a commitment to improve connectivity in remote parts of the country as we leave no one and no place behind.
It is now the responsibility of the media industry and all Zimbabweans to ensure that the misinformation by merchants of deliberate selective amnesia should be discredited as we build digital files to be accessed by everyone globally.
Therefore, digital footprints must be predicated on the truth and national image boosting perspectives.
Dr Jenfan Muswere is the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services
