Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Regional on May 4, 2026 launched the African Media Barometer (AMB) at the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia offices in Lusaka. The event brought together media stakeholders, diplomats government representatives and delegates from several African countries to reflect on the state of media freedom and freedom of expression on the continent.
The 2025 African Media Barometer report identified the enactment of Zambia’s Access to Information Act in 2023 and the repeal of the offence of defamation of the President in 2022 as major positive reforms. However, the report noted that broader legal reforms aligning Zambia’s laws with international freedom of expression standards remain incomplete.
Speaking during the launch, the MISA Zambia Chairperson Mrs. Lorraine Mwanza Chisanga described the African Media Barometer as an important accountability tool that measures progress and challenges within Africa’s media landscape. The Chairperson noted that the report provides a platform for evidence-based dialogue and practical recommendations aimed at strengthening media freedom, professionalism and sustainability across the continent.
Mrs. Chisanga also highlighted growing concerns over attacks, intimidation and legal pressure targeting journalists in Zambia like the recent incidents involving journalists from Power FM Radio and Prime TV were cited as signs of a fragile media environment.
The launch was graced by the attendance of the German Ambassador to Zambia, Mr. Soenke Siemon, Director of Media and Press at the Ministry of Information and Media (MIM) Mr. Morden Mayembe and delegates from Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Cameroon, South Africa and Botswana.
