Access the page on Freedom of Expression and Elections in Africa here.

ARTICLE 19 is working with NGOs and activists in many other African countries on bringing freedom of information and media legislation to parliament. In 2007 our activities included steps towards the setting up of an ARTICLE 19 Centre of Excellence at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, South Africa. Once established, the Centre will make use of materials such as ARTICLE 19’s Training Manual for Broadcast Regulators, and function as a research hub for broadcasting policies, regulatory systems and training courses. Activities for this exciting and innovative project are continuing into 2008.

The Africa Programme’s projects in Africa aim to:

• Strengthen the role of media in free elections;
• Strengthen freedom of expression in the media and civil society;
• Contribute to the setting up and strengthening of legal and policy frameworks for free media in peace processes and in post-conflict situations and mainstream freedom of expression in peace building processes;
• Improve the free flow of information and ideas in the continent as a whole;
• Increase freedom of access to information;
• Promote an independent, diverse pluralistic media in Africa;
• Improve transparency in multinationals and IFIs operating in Africa.

The Africa Programme works with many different organisations, states and individuals. We have hosted, organised and run a number of forums, colloquia, consultations, roundtables, task forces, strategic planning and advocacy meetings to engage the relevant authorities, organisations and activists with both ARTICLE 19 and each other.

We also run training courses and workshops to help train activists and organisations to campaign effectively in their country. The Africa programme collaborated with the UNDP in late 2007 to run a training course for Somali journalists on issues including the ethics of journalism and self-regulation, media law and conflict reporting.

The Africa programme produces reports on developments in our campaigns in various African countries and also practical documents to help local activists; we review and analyse their work and documents that they produce to ensure that they are most effective.

Although the Africa programme works for the continent as a whole, many activities work with particular nations. Some of the most dynamic projects are:

Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
We aim to conduct activities targeting access to information, governance and transparency around the issue of mining at the grassroots level as well as government levels.

Freedom of expression and Elections
ARTICLE 19 is working to strengthen the role of the media during elections in target countries so that the public can be best informed on their national politics. For more information on our freedom of expression and elections work, click here.

Kenya
ARTICLE 19 is working with the Freedom of Information Coalition to achieve awareness around and the passing of a fair and effective Freedom of Information Bill. Our other activities in Kenya have included the production of a guidebook for the coverage of elections for Kenyan media, produced in coordination with our partner ICJ Kenya.

Mauritania and Niger
ARTICLE 19 has organised a workshop in partnership with the Mauritania Association of Human Rights (ADMH). ARTICLE 19 and the participants in the workshop debated the implementation of international norms regarding freedom of information in Mauritania and review the state of freedom of expression there. ARTICLE 19, drawing from the findings of the workshop, has published a report in French assessing freedom of expression in Mauritania. The Africa programme has also produced a comprehensive report in French on freedom of expression in Niger.

Nigeria
ARTICLE 19 is campaigning for the government to enact the proposed Freedom of Information Bill before the 2007 elections. This is a particularly effective time to pressurise a government to legislate for access to information.

Sierra Leone
We are planning advocacy activities and a training course in Sierra Leone to coordinate activist groups’ work to progress access to information measures.

Sudan
One of our main current projects is the management and participation in a consortium project ‘Promoting Freedom for Expression and Civil Society Involvement in Developing Democratic Media Legislation in Sudan’. ARTICLE 19 activities thus far have included the facilitation of the first meeting of the Media Law Task Force in Sudan. The task force has worked with local media to review the draft laws for Southern Sudan and produced a Code of Conduct for the media. ARTICLE 19 has also co-facilitated a National Roundtable meeting discussing the National draft media laws and has contributed to a Sudan Media Assessment.