SECTOR 2 2.6 Government promotes a diverse media landscape with economically sustainable and independent media outlets Namibia has a diverse media landscape (as noted in Indicator 2.1) and while government makes an effort to promote this diversity by – for example – subscribing to all the newspapers, more has been promised and more could be done. The Communications Act of 2009 stipulates that there should be a Universal Services Fund funded by commercial broadcasters and the telecommunications companies ‘for the purposes of paying subsidies to licensees to subsidise the provision of services or the provision of infrastructure for the purpose of providing universal service’. However, this Fund only exists in principle and is not yet effective, with MTC arguing that others are not paying their share and Telecom contesting the levy itself. There are also examples of government not supporting a diverse media landscape. One panellist noted that in the past, ‘parastatals have been given a directive to advertise only in the New Era newspaper and the paper has gone to potential advertisers with this directive’. The above-mentioned notwithstanding, there has been strong growth in Namibia’s media landscape. ‘At Independence in 1990, Namibia had only one TV station and one radio station. The airwaves have definitely opened up since then and there is much diversity amongst the commercial and community radio stations.’ Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: Score of previous years: 29 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NAMIBIA 2018 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓✓✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓✓✓ 2.9 2005: n/a; 2007: n/a; 2009: 2.4; 2011: 2.4; 2015: 3.1