Angola is soon to roll out a 5G network. The data indicates that 15 million people have access to the internet, representing 46% of the population. However, despite the above advances, the price of mobile data, call plans, and broadband internet access in Angola are high compared to neighbouring countries — 10 times higher than South Africa’s, for example. One gigabyte for mobile internet in Angola costs an average US$1.61 in 2021. The country ranked 89 in a list of 228 countries worldwide, from the cheapest to the most expensive for mobile data. Poor infrastructure particularly affects rural residents, for whom voice and data services are of much lower quality and are subject to frequent cuts and extremely slow connection speeds. Due to the country’s fractured electricity system, urban areas are more likely to have connectivity. It is important to note that during the period under review, despite a history of censorship in print and broadcast media, there have been no known incidents of the government blocking or filtering online content in Angola, and there are no restrictions on the type of information that can be exchanged through digital media. There were no public reports of forced content removal during the coverage period, though informal government demands on users to remove content from the internet have been documented periodically. COVID-19 AND DIGITAL RIGHTS During the pandemic, State security forces were implicated by human rights groups and media in serious human rights abuses, including killings, harassment and arbitrary arrests, as they tried to enforce lockdown rules and restrictions. In the media sector, under COVID-19 emergency measures imposed since “The Committee for the Protection of Journalists has noted that citizens do not have access to a free, diverse and pluralistic broadcast media, stressing that the only conclusion to be drawn is that the Angolan government is trying to control the media narrative, especially because of elections scheduled in August. March 2020, State and private media outlets are obligated to collaborate with “competent authorities,” which the decree defines as the government bodies responsible for security, civil protection, and public health. Though it is not clear how this provision has been put to effect, there are concerns that it may be used to manipulate Angola’s media environment. However, there were no specific cases related to COVID-19 and violation of press freedom in the offline or online space during the period under review. GENDER AND ICT In Angola, different laws are in place to protect women. In addition, policy measures under the National Development Plan aim to promote the full realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms for men and women and promote all equal-opportunity aspects in employment policies. This includes reduction of occupational segregation and assistance in reconciling work and family life, as well as to counter the persistent under-representation of women in all decision-making spheres. It also aims to promote equal access and full enjoyment of social rights such as access to the same job opportunities for men and women, in order to eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education and at other educational levels by 2025. However, the policy lacks a specific approach on womenICT and online gender-based violence (OGBV). During the period under analysis it was noted that there was almost no public debate on the situation of women in the digital space, not only because of the absence of concrete policies, but also because of the poor access to digital spaces by women due to the limited expansion of the network, as well as the costs, which, as mentioned above, are still high. STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA REPORT 2021 29 that 64% remained offline at the beginning of the year.