On a positive note, the country’s National Broadcasting Board (NBB) announced its intention to award national broadcasting licenses to three private radio stations. Two of the stations GABZ FM and Yarona FM were already broadcasting in and around Gaborone, while the third is a new station. The move by the NBB was heralded as a milestone in the liberation of the country’s airwaves, eliminating the national broadcasting monopoly by two stateowned radio stations. The three stations were subsequently licensed in May 2007. MISA Botswana received a boost from the Botswana Telecommunications Authority, which donated broadcasting equipment to the value of P20 000 (about US$3 300). The equipment included a multi-media projector and lamp, a video camera and stand, a digital camera and a flip chart stand. Lesotho Working with other stakeholders, MISA Lesotho has so far been able to pressure the Ministry of Communications not to proceed with the Lesotho Broadcasting Corporation Bill 2004 in its present form. As a result, the then Minister of Communications, Science and Technology indefinitely suspended the proposed draft bill, which did not espouse any ideals of the internationally acknowledged principles of public service broadcasting. At every available forum, the national chapter talks about public broadcasting. This includes radio and TV slots, and public forums where MISA has been invited to address participants. Campaign materials in the form of posters, flyers and T-shirts in Sesotho and English have been produced to create awareness on the transformation of state broadcasters into public service entities. The principle of public service broadcasting is also encompassed in the draft media policy. Mozambique In May 2006, MISA Mozambique and the Danish Centre for Culture and Development trained 13 media practitioners in the techniques of video production, camera, sound and writing. MISA Mozambique also co-organised a regional broadcasting workshop with PANOS Southern Africa in October 2006. The workshop was aimed at stimulating debate at a regional level on emerging issues and challenges facing the broadcasting industry in southern Africa. It looked at issues facing the region, including broadcasting regulation, broadcasting technology, community broadcasting, public service broadcasting and independent broadcasting. Participants formulated recommendations to inform decisions and broadcasting debates at country level. Namibia MISA Namibia made submissions on the proposed Communications Authority Act to ensure that Namibia has an independent regulatory authority. It also made submissions on community radio and public service broadcasting. MISA Namibia voiced concern about the exclusion of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) from the act, saying transformation cannot be realised without democratic broadcasting legislation. MISA Namibia met with the Director General of the NBC and the General Manager for Radio to discuss the need to transform the state broadcaster. The Director General agreed to look at the submitted documents, including the Africa Media Barometer (AMB) for Namibia. The chapter continued to support the Namibian Community Radio Network (NCRN) in its mandate to build the capacity of local community media to transform information and knowledge into ingredients of empowerment and equitable development. MISA Namibia organised community radio training sponsored by the Democracy and 32 Annual Report 2007