SESSION TWO: CONTENT CREATION, DISSEMINATION, USE & THE ENVIRONMENT This panel discussion focused on local content production, identification of topics and audiences and the importance of related issues such as multilingualism given that Zimbabwe has 16 official languages, including sign language. The session also explored how local content generation, freedom of expression and digital rights relate to current regulation. PANEL MODERATOR LARRY KWIRIRAYI Blogger & Digital Strategist Larry Kwirirayi is the founding editor of Three Men On a Boat (3-mob.com) and hosts the long-running podcast #Kwiricast. 3.1 PANEL DISCUSSION: ‘Working’ Online in Zimbabwe: Practical Experiences PRESENTED BY LIMBIKANI MAKANI TechZim Founder and CEO Limbikani Makani is the founder and CEO of Techzim, an online based technology news company founded in 2010 that has grown to become an authoritative voice on technology, Internet & digital media matters in Zimbabwe. TechZim is a news blog focusing on covering information technology news, views and reviews about products/services in Zimbabwe and the region with a leaning towards connectivity and ICT start-ups. rather than receipt-based tax regime. • Lack of observance of Copyright also remains a challenge for online content producers. For Zimbabwe it is particularly so with the emergence of online news sites, such as Bulawayo24 and Nehanda Radio, that thrive on news pirated from other sites. This has negatively affected content producers who invest time and resources to source news for their websites. • Working online in Zimbabwe presents its own set of opportunities and callenges. In Zimbabwe people who work online include bloggers, social entertainers and online technology and news businesses. While experiences may not be similar across the divide, they remain pertinent to an overall understanding of the challenges and opportunities of content generation online. • Failure to recognise the need for net neutrality is one of the major challenges for content producers. Within the Zimbabwean context a few private players own and control the largest percentage of the mobile and internet network. This translates to limited consumer choice on use of the internet as decisions are made based on what they can afford. Mobile network operators effectively dictate what consumers can get for their money. A classic demonstration of this is the classification of data-bundles for social media for Econet subscribers. This presents major challenges for emerging businesses in Zimbabwe. • TechZim for instance, has benefited immensely from the growing mobile phone penetration that has increased internet connectivity and access in many parts of Zimbabwe to market their content. In general, Zimbabwean online content producers have a larger audience, which acts as a ready market that can consume online products. However, while there is a larger online audience that can consume products, this does not always translate into hard cash returns. • Zimbabwe’s current economic environment is not conducive for start-up businesses, particularly the prohibitive invoice based INTERNET GOVERNANCE MULTISTAKEHOLDER CONFERENCE REPORT 2015 017 www.misazim.com @misazimbabwe MISA Zimbabwe