Country Reports Snapshots to 10. The radio station is significant to the communities and serves as a voice of evangelisation and a hub for community engagement. On September 15, the former Minister of Information and Media Chushi Kasanda commissioned Radio 1 and 2 Radio FM transmitters in Luangwa District. She said this was part of a broader effort to address the challenges of poor radio reception and improve access to information nationwide. Improving radio reception is key to addressing the information divide and improving media access in remote areas in Zambia. • • Key Results • • • • 42 The Access to Information Act was enacted in December 2023, a major milestone in MISA Zambia’s advocacy for the past 21 years. The review of the IBA and the ZNBC Acts was underway, and MISA Zambia had been invited to make submissions on the proposed legislation. The proposed bills include several positive provisions, including the IBA regulating ZNBC and ZNBC having a board that represents a broad spectrum of stakeholders, with some coming from the NGO sector. MISA Zambia Successfully hosted the 2023 Media Awards. MISA Zambia was able to address media violations promptly. For instance, legal support for both KBN TV and Jaja Komoko was secured within hours of the incidents occurring and after MISA Zambia referred the cases to Chapter One Foundation. In the KBN TV case, the station received legal support, with lawyers arguing in their favour and questioning the IBA charge as unconstitutional and not legally sound. Further, Jaja Komoko was released on • • • bond within 24 hours of arrest despite it being a weekend. Following the issuance of a statement in July by MISA Zambia condemning the attack on a Times of Zambia photojournalist by an MP, Zambia Police arrested and charged the legislator with common assault for spitting on a photojournalist at parliament. MISA Zambia contributed to enhancing media freedom and freedom of expression in Zambia by capacitating the media to operate according to governance standards requirements, produce quality content, and build their capacity on key climate change-related matters and local government laws and policies. MISA Zambia launched two freedom of expression reports covering July to December 2022 and January to June 2023. These reports contribute significantly to increased knowledge, serving as valuable resources for stakeholders advocating law reforms that promote media freedom. The information sessions, coimplemented by MISA and PANOS Institute Southern Africa, resulted in the establishment of the Choma Press Club, which provided a platform for journalists’ engagement — a critical development for Choma, which had lacked such a platform for an extended period. The organisation also made progress towards establishing a pure media self-regulation mechanism, as the Code of Conduct and Constitution had been developed. It also launched the Media Ethics Complaints Committee and the Media Self-Regulation Council of Zambia. www.misa.org