The Regional Director, accompanied by Regional Programme Manager: Broadcasting, attended a half a day workshop for civil society, politicians and media practitioners in Luanda in March 2004. The workshop was organised to launch the MISA ”Open the Waves” campaign and was used to impress on the participants on the need for reforming the existing Broadcasting Act to transform the state broadcasting services, both radio and television, into public service broadcasters. The workshop also noted that transformation would call for opening of the waves to allow for the three tier system of broadcasting, including the operations of community and commercial broadcasters. Initial meetings were conducted with Radio Ecclesia in Angola to look into introducing a live phone in programme to create awareness and campaign for transformation of state broadcasting services and also the provision for community and commercial broadcast services. 6.9 National Activities 6.9.1 Botswana MISA Botswana is engaged with the National Broadcasting Board (NBB) to develop a broadcasting policy and operational regulations for the industry. To date the NBB has produced draft papers through a transparent and consultative process. It is also pleasing to note that many suggestions for a user friendly policy and regulations have been drafted for Parliament’s approval. MISA Botswana however is concerned that this process is very time consuming and continues to impress on the relevant bodies to expedite the process. In addition, the chapter is monitoring the government’s recent interest towards combining the regulatory agencies currently dealing with Broadcasting and Telecommunications into a single body. Whilst MISA Botswana takes note of the convergence inherent in these two fields it is hoped that it shall not be used as a delaying tactic by government on NBB policy implementation. MISA Botswana is rolling out its ‘Right to Communicate’ campaign through in an effort to empower Batswana to demand information as an alienable human right. As a starting point the chapter is targeting community broadcasting as one method of citizen empowerment. Through running trainer-of-trainer workshops for a multiplier effect, the chapter plans to provide skills development in this new and very vulnerable sector. To equip the chapter with the skills to conduct such training two MISA Botswana staff took a fact finding trip to Zambia to view its efforts on the operations of community radios. The chapter has run several workshops using the MISA Advocacy Tool Kit to prepare those who are waiting to be awarded community radio licenses. It is worrying that as of now Botswana does not have one single community radio broadcasting operator, especially as the country is heading for elections later in 2004. It is in this vein that the chapter continues to pressurize the NBB to issue licenses as soon as possible. As a Chapter, MISA Botswana is interacting with other organisations on the provisions of the African Charter on Broadcasting and the African Charter on Peoples and Human Rights. MISA Botswana is pleased that the African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights has elaborated on Article 9 of the Charter and is busy seeing to the publicizing of its provision through citizen forum and NGO workshops. MISA Botswana will assist in this direction and continue to give it MISA Annual Report (April 2003 – March 2004) 60