STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 2022 There were about 7,54 million internet users in the country in January 2022. The country’s internet penetration rate stood at 23,1% of the total population.(7) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic led companies and users to move to online platforms to remain sustainable throughout the pandemic by establishing remote work systems. However, the high cost of devices, especially smartphones, a low 48% literacy rate, and unfamiliarity with the internet pose major barriers to internet connectivity. The number of social media users in Mozambique at the start of 2022 was 9,3%. This suggests that social media platforms could be playing a minimal role in providing an alternative to government-controlled platforms. According to the United States Department of Commerce (2022), Mozambique’s digital transformation brings new threats to end-users, which include the government and the private sector surveillance. These public and private entities face looming challenges and risks from the online storage of information of citizens who depend on public services.(8) GENDER AND THE MEDIA The literacy rate of women is considerably low, with only 44 percent of women in urban areas being literate, while the illiteracy rate of women in rural areas is as high as 70 percent. The insecurity status of women is exacerbated by poverty, limited economic prospects, pressure to marry young and high levels of gender-based violence. As is the case in the region, the voice and agency of women and youth continue to be sidelined in the media — as both subjects and sources. An innovative Women In News (WIN) initiative which looks into how gender-responsive media can effectively increase women’s economic empowerment has the potential to introduce changes. The concept explores how content for women entrepreneurs can be sustainably funded and produced to benefit women entrepreneurs.(9) JOURNALISTS FROM RURAL COMMUNITIES The political and military conflict in the north of the country involving extremists and the Mozambican defence forces marks the overall context in which freedoms of the press and expression have suffered. The escalation of the conflict, which prompted regional forces and other allies like Rwanda to intervene, has made the practice of journalism risky for journalists operating in rural settings particularly in the north of the country. References MOZAMBIQUE: INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM UNDER THREAT (1) CIVICUS, 2023, Mozambique: “The New NGO will be the death of civic movement”, https://www.civicus.org/index.php/media-resources/news/interviews/6268-mozambique-the-new-ngo-law-will-be-the-death-of-the-civic-movement (2) Mozambique https://bti-project.org/en/reports/country-dashboard/MOZ (3) Navigating Civic Spaces in Mozambique Baseline Report https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/bitstream/handle/20.500.12413/16563/NCS_Country_Baseline_Report_Mozambique_Final.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y (4) Mozambique: Culture of secrecy frustrating freedom of information, Club of Mozambique https://clubofmozambique.com/news/mozambique-culture-of-secrecy-frustrating-freedom-of-information-165264/ (5) International Media Support (IMS), 2023, Reimagining the role of media in Mozambique in the era of terrorism and natural disasters https://www.mediasupport.org/ publication/reimagining-the-role-of-media-in-mozambique-in-the-era-of-terrorism-and-natural-disasters/ (6) International Press Institute (IPI), 2022, Press Freedom in Mozambique https://ipi.media/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IPI-PRESS-FREEDOM-MISSION-MOZAM- BIQUE-1.pdf (7) Digital Mozambique 2022 https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2022-mozambique (8) United States Department of Commerce, 2022, Mozambique-Country Commercial Guide:https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/mozambique-information-and-communications-technology-ict (9) Case Study: How can gender-responsive media effectively increase women’s economic empowerment? https://clubofmozambique.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ MediaCaseStudy-1.pdf 52