Assessing the Capacity, Challenges and Sustainability of the Community Radio Sector in Ethiopia

"Ethiopian community radio stations have the potential to play a significant role in providing quality information to citizens and driving public accountability and governance issues through 'citizen-oriented journalism'."

In the context of dramatic political changes that are opening up a window of opportunity for media reform, an International Media Support (IMS) team carried out an assessment of the community radio sector in Ethiopia between October 2018 and January 2019. This report synthesises findings from desk research and fieldwork conducted by IMS.

The report begins by providing social and political context. Centrally, inaugurated in April 2018, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has indicated a willingness to introduce broad-based socio-political and economic reforms, which, if successfully implemented, could change the trajectory of Ethiopia's development, per IMS. However, a number of risk factors remain in play, such as inter-communal tensions that have been flaring up since 2017.

The first phase of the assessment analysed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the community radio sector based on literature reviews, discussions, and interviews held with relevant actors such as government regulatory authorities, radio station managers, journalists, and listeners. In addition, the consultants held discussions with the chairperson and vice chairpersons of the Ethiopian Community Radio Broadcasters Association. Subsequently, the team visited 6 selected community radio stations in rural areas and urban centres outside Addis Ababa.

IMS notes that the entire process of launching and maintaining a community radio station in Ethiopia presents a multitude of challenges, such as insufficient training, lack of knowledge about the relevant legal framework, absence of internal procedures, frequent failure of technical equipment, lack of studio equipment guidance, low commitment on the part of staff, lack of transportation to access remote communities, low broadcast and programme quality, and limited community participation in the establishment and management of the stations.

Despite these challenges - judging by the nature and number of issues raised by the listeners - the radio stations nonetheless play an important role in addressing the social, political, economic and development problems in communities. In addition to prioritising community agendas, they promote healthy communities (mentally, psychologically, physically), good governance, justice, human rights, democracy, civic participation, public good, cultures, identities, and values at grassroots levels. Anecdotal evidence indicates that radio stations seem to be facilitating positive community participation in regard to development, peace, tolerance, and pluralism.

The report goes on to examine legal and policy contexts, including the laws and directives that govern Ethiopia's media sector. "Regardless of the relevant legal provisions, the country's broadcasting sector has, for the most part, remained under government scrutiny and control for the past 27 years."

After a look at the geographical distribution of the 50 stations within the country that have received broadcast licenses from the Ethiopian Broadcast Authority (EBA), the report offers a brief overview of the 6 radio stations visited - all of which, with the exception of Debre Markos, have experienced violent local conflicts in their coverage area:

• Kombolcha Community Radio, Amhara Region
• Argoba Community Radio, Afar Region
• Debre Markos University and its surrounding community radio station, Amhara Region
• Hawassa University and its surrounding community radio station, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' (SNNP) region
• Silte Community Radio, SNNP region
• Kemise Community Radio station, Oromiya Zone of Amhara Region

Next, the report shares IMS's assessment of the following issues (select findings are shared below):

• Staffing - The majority of the journalists are men. Kombolcha and Hawassa community radios have the highest number of volunteers, making up between 40% and 70% of their total staff. Interviewees mentioned the need for more specialised training on radio journalism, studio management, radio equipment maintenance, editing and programme presentation, live programme management, conflict-sensitive journalism, and specific skills relating to coverage of health, development, business, governance, and corruption.
• Ownership and governance - In practice, the stations are not entirely free from the influence of local administrations, university administration bodies, or the EBA itself. There is limited local interest in the governance of the stations, since the general population tends to be more preoccupied with earning a living. "In this context, it is remarkable how many volunteers the stations have been able to attract."
• Programme content - All stations broadcast weekly or bi-weekly programmes on development, governance, law and justice, agriculture, health, education, gender/women, and other cross-cutting issues such as the elderly, children, and culture. They broadcast and communicate both in Amharic, the national language, and in local languages. The programme formats vary from station to station, depending on the number and experience of staff. According to station staff, programmes where authorities have to respond to listener complaints are extremely popular.
• Relationship with audience - The main modes of communication with the audience are mobile phones, landlines, local meetings, traditional gatherings, board meetings, and word of mouth. The communities are generally very active in terms of contributing content, generating programme ideas, and providing feedback. But there is a lack of data (both quantitative and qualitative) on the reach and impact of the community radio stations.
• Editorial practices - The EBA has developed a manual to support community radios to develop their editorial policies, structure their boards, plan editorial meetings, address staff requirements, and introduce financial, procurement and asset management policies. However, none of the stations has developed its own editorial policy based on the manual.
• Financial and administrative issues - Generally, most community radio stations are financially weak, and they are not allowed to receive any funding from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or other donors. Transport is a big problem for all stations.
• Infrastructure - Lack of adequate broadcast equipment, maintenance skills, lack of spare parts, and lack of financial sources significantly affect the overall operation, broadcast quality, and contents of the radio stations in general.

Next, the report looks at the Community Radio Broadcasters Association, which was established in the mid-2000s with the aim of leading advocacy, capacity building, and sustainability for the national community radio sector. In October 2019, it was registered as a legal association by the Ethiopian Civil Society Organization (ECSO) and has resumed some preparatory activities as a local NGO. Most of the community radio stations and Community Broadcasters Association members have identified capacity building and training (74%) as key areas of need followed by broadcast and studio equipment support (10%), exchange visits to other stations in and outside the country (7%), and transportation support to reach wider audiences (6%).

The report's annex includes a listing all the community radio stations in Ethiopia.