Country Reports Snapshots regional workshops on digital advocacy and media literacy in Johannesburg, a regional multi-stakeholder conference on digital rights, and the Inclusive Internet Governance, Information, and Communication Rights Conference in Namibia. MISA Malawi was also part of the Spaces of Solidarity (SoS) 2023 Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, in September. Guided by the MISA Regional office, SoS is a platform of more than 20 Southern African freedom of expression organisations working together to support, develop and strengthen resilient media and freedom of expression systems in the region. • • • 2024 outlook To avoid a repeat of developments experienced in 2023, MISA Malawi recommends that: • Police officers, political party leaders and supporters, sports fans and officials and members of the general public stop attacking journalists. Attacks on journalists are attacks on media freedom, the right to information and freedom of expression. Journalists are not enemies of the nation. Journalists merely work to access information for a well-informed society. If anyone believes a journalist has done his/her job unprofessionally, the solution is not to attack or assault the journalist. Some bodies such as the Media Council of Malawi (MCM) are responsible for media self-regulation and handle complaints against the media. • Most political parties will hold elective conventions in 2024, and MISA Malawi expects that many activities in preparation for the 2025 tripartite elections will be conducted in 2024. We call on political parties to create 26 • • • • a conducive environment to ensure easy access to information before, during, and after electoral activities and support for the media to ensure that Malawians remain informed of such developments and activities. The government should consider going beyond rhetoric on access to information by adequately funding the implementation of the Access to Information Act activities for the Human Rights Commission. State House must enable access to the Presidency by resuming the Presidential Press Conferences. The government should consider a long-term tax waiver on newsprint and broadcasting equipment to ease the pressure of devaluation on the media. MACRA should take advantage of the review of the Communications Act to revise broadcasters’ fees and have them pegged in Malawi kwacha. MACRA should also have a legal mandate to regulate infrastructure-sharing costs to protect smaller broadcasters from unfair business practices. The government should protect broadcasters as provided for under the African Charter on Broadcasting to ensure the survival of the independent and pluralistic broadcasting sector. The government should intervene and allow broadcasters to settle licence fee arrears based on the dollar-kwacha rate when the arrears were accumulated. The Cyber Security and Electronic Transactions Act needs to be reviewed, and responsible institutions should take deliberate steps to raise awareness and ensure that Malawians understand the law. www.misa.org