Protection of Personal Data (Malabo Convention). Country reports snapshots Angola The Angolan government owns most of the media in the country. In return journalists by and large report favourably about the authorities. Angola is ranked 106 out of 180 countries in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index. The Angola media landscape is characterised by selfcensorship, which could be a result of years of sustained attacks against the media in that country. Freedom of expression and access to information are enshrined in the Angolan Constitution. Article 40 of the Constitution states that “everyone has the right to freely and publicly express and share opinions in words, images or by any other means”. However, implementation of the legal framework on data protection remains problematic. The Data Protection Agency (DPA) has not been functioned efficiently, as it depends on the government for its operations. The DPA is appointed by the government and this may affect its neutrality. In terms of programmes, the MISA Regional Secretariat did not carry out any programmes with the MISA Angola Chapter as the chapter is still going through the process of re-inventing itself. The MISA Regional Secretariat is working on fully reengaging with the MISA Angola Chapter, which has over the years gone through periods of lulls. The MISA Angola Chapter was present at the regional strategic meeting and hopefully this will open more doors for reengagement at regional level. This right includes the right to be informed or to inform others, that is, the right to be able to transmit information or access information. The Constitution goes further by providing that such rights must be maintained and realised without hindrance, discrimination or censorship, as well as guaranteeing every individual or legal entity equal right of reply, correction and compensation for any damage suffered as a result of such free expression. However, a number of the Press Law’s articles violate Angola’s international obligations in respect of media freedom. These include: MISA Regional Director Tabani Moyo in an interview with the SABC on the Africa ICT Ministry Forum held in Namibia on the 14th of November 2021. Article 29 gives the Ministry of Social Communication the authority to oversee how media organisations carry out editorial guidelines and to punish violators with suspension of activities or fines. Article 35 imposes excessive fees to establish a media group of 35 million kwanzas for a news agency (US$211,000) and 75 million kwanzas (US$452,000) for a radio station. Article 82 criminalises publication of a text or image that is “offensive to individuals.” Under the penal code, defamation and slander are punishable with fines and imprisonment for up to six months. The law’s overly broad definition of defamation opens the door for the government to arbitrarily prosecute journalists who report about illegal or improper activity by officials and others. Access to information workshop for political party leaders in Lesotho. Angola created a Data Protection Agency in 2016, which allowed the country to ratify, in February 2020, the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and MISA Regional 2021 Annual 2021 Report 10