Expanding Access to Information, Education and Civic Engagement: The Case for Establishing Community Radios in Somaliland

"Radio remains Africa's most accessible form of media, particularly for those outside urban areas."

This report seeks to advocate for the introduction of community radios in Somaliland, one of the few countries in Africa that has only state-run radio stations. It makes the case by providing an argument in favour of community radios as an inexpensive vehicle for making information that is vital to lives and livelihoods easily available to people living in rural areas, including nomadic and semi-nomadic populations. The report was published by the Horizon Institute, which is working to advance the rule of law and human rights in Somaliland by providing information and analysis to stimulate debate among the public, government institutions, the media, human rights groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and donors, as well as to promote government policies based on respect for human rights, the rule of law, and the encouragement of self-reliance.

As explained in the report, Somaliland, Eritrea, and Equatorial Guinea are the only countries in Africa that have only state-run radio stations. However, the report makes the point that the legal obstacles to community radio in Somaliland are no longer valid. On June 4 2002, a ministerial decree banned the operation of any radio stations other than Radio Hargeisa. The decision was justified on the basis that legislation governing the press did not exist at the time, and that such a measure was necessary to preempt the problems that could arise from unregulated private radio stations. In 2004, the Somaliland Press Law was passed, with "press" defined as including radios and prohibiting "all acts to subjugate them". Nevertheless, the 2002 ban remains in place, even though there is no longer a valid legal reason for the continued refusal by successive governments to issue licenses for privately owned/run radios. By definition, the 2004 Press Law supersedes the ministerial decree since it explicitly lifts all restraints from the press and provides the necessary legislative framework that was cited as the key reason for the 2002 ban. The report states that the 2004 Press Law needs an overhaul and that amendments have been proposed over the years. But no changes have been implemented, and it remains the law governing all aspects of the press.

As a further argument to advocate for community radio stations, the report makes the point that the monopoly of Radio Hargeisa excludes rural populations, creating a news vacuum in the regions. (The reception distance of Radio Hargeisa stations means that it is out of reach of half the population.) Furthermore, most stories are centred on events in the capital, Hargeisa, and it focuses mainly on political news. Reports from the regions are usually reactions to an event, especially visits by politicians or because of a natural disaster.

The report makes the point that community radio would be of great benefit to rural populations. They could receive targeted reports on the daily challenges they face, such as around grazing grounds, watering holes, and safety issues. Radio could bring new ideas, such as promoting education for girls, taking advantage of vaccination campaigns for people and livestock, guiding people through all the steps of starting and maintaining a small business, and helping farmers develop innovative farming techniques, such as rain harvesting. They can also encourage listeners to tackle sensitive or taboo subjects - for example, mental health, the rise in sexual violence against women and children, and the harmful consequences of qat (a local plant used as a stimulant drug).

The unique advantages of community radio stations in bringing about change are also put forward. For example, the fact that the radio belongs to, and is an integral part of, the community where the change is being encouraged is one advantage. New ideas are more likely to be taken up by communities, as they are not being imposed by a faraway government body, an NGO, or any other external entity but, rather, by the community itself. Overall, the report makes the point that throughout the world, community radios are contributing to the goal of nurturing healthier, more educated, productive, aware, and self-reliant societies, reducing violence against women, and promoting reconciliation and peace. It cites a number of examples from countries such as Zambia, Rwanda, and Columbia that highlight how community radio has brought about changes in the communities they serve. In Zambia, which has a huge deforestation problem, community radio has, for example, helped bring awareness and action on the issue, resulting in the formation of tree-planting citizen committees and the planting of more than 200,000 trees in 2017.

Finally, the report argues how the global COVID-19 pandemic has shown how critical a tool community radios have become in ensuring the free flow of life-saving information. Here too, the report highlights examples from countries such as India, Kenya, and Bangladesh to show the key role that radio played. One example is Radio Ergo, which worked to provide COVID-19 information to listeners across the Somali speaking region in East Africa. The station used its toll-free number to gather listeners' views and questions on COVID-19 and shared this input with the Somali Ministry of Health, United Nations agencies, and NGOs.

As stated in the report, "On 18 May 2021, Somaliland will mark thirty years since the momentous decision to go it alone. It would be a sad reflection if the lack of political confidence in the people of Somaliland, which prompted the Decree of 2002, continues to cast a shadow over the future of broadcasting and on the right of people to receive and exchange information and to make their own news."