STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA He noted that media freedom was a key driver towards the development of the country‟s democracy. Calls for self-regulation have continued with media practitioners divided on the matter. 4.2 Economic and Technological Environment In the quarter under review government announced its plans to increase accessibility to media services through the construction of more communication towers. The Daily Nation reported that government through ZICTA planned to erect 12 more towers in Zambezi District11. Zambezi District Commissioner Lawrence Kayumba confirmed the development to Daily Nation in an interview yesterday. Mr. Kayumba said out of the towers, six would be erected in the West bank while the other 6 would be erected on East bank. “Eight towers have so far been erected. And the remaining 4 will also be erected,” he said. Another development contributing to increased access to information was the rural TV project government introduced in 2018. In this quarter, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Dora Siliya said government will use the project to have a well-informed citizenry12. 4.3 Legal and Political Environment 4.3.1 Censored This quarter saw less cases of direct censorship of what was published in the media. However, IBA was urged to be proactive in ensuring that unwanted content is not given publicity. The case in point is information surrounding information published suggesting that government had sold ZAFFICO which sparked riots in Kitwe. On 6th November, the Daily Nation cited Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda urging IBA to be 11 12 Daily Nation – ZICTA to Erect 12 More Towers In Zambezi – 14th November, 2018 Zambia Daily Mail – TV to Reach Rural Dwellers – 3rd October, 2018 11