From an average student to upper class and distinctions

hands each year. God bless her.

After my under-graduate degree, I worked for a development organisation in Bindura that works with young women before I left to pursue my post-graduate studies with the National University of Science and Technology. Currently, I am working as an Advocacy and Peacebuilding Officer, for a development organisation that mobilises the Christian community to participate in national processes and also advocates for the rights of communities.

The organisation capacitates communities to hold duty bearers to account so that citizens may enjoy their God given rights, as well as promoting peace, unity, and justice.

With the advent of the global Covid-19 pandemic, the right to access information has become of paramount importance. The enjoyment of this right in the wake of the pandemic and declining economic capital of the ordinary citizen is key in rebuilding economies.

MISA Zimbabwe must continue to engage the government to ensure that policies allow for citizens to fully access information and ultimately be able to make decisions that include, but are not limited to their wellbeing.

MISA Zimbabwe must continue to push the government of Zimbabwe to consider issuing of more broadcasting licenses in a manner that is transparent and fair.

By the end of September 2021, Zimbabwe now had 14 licenced community radio stations and six television stations covering nearly all the provinces in Zimbabwe.

There has been an increase of mobile and internet accessibility in Zimbabwe. According to POTRAZ, 8,726,904 people had access to the internet and there were 12,783,785 registered mobile lines in Zimbabwe in the third quarter of 2020.

Guided by the 2016 Zimbabwe National Policy for Information and Communications Technology, the government is targeting to move the education, health, commercial and business sector to digital platforms.

While the opening of the airwaves is a positive development, it is still a major concern whether the content will reflect the voices of ordinary citizens, as there has been a historical trend of intolerance from authorities.

The high costs of data and devices also continues to affect citizens from participating using these new media opportunities, hence institutions such as MISA Zimbabwe still have a pivotal role to play before we can truly say the media landscape is free, fair, and accessible to the public.

MISA Zimbabwe must therefore continue to engage relevant authorities to provide citizens with the choice to access readily available information from multiple sources.

Happy anniversary MISA Zimbabwe.