Communication Law and Policy: Africa

The media law regimes in Africa are the result of a confluence of historical and political factors: first, the authoritarian colonial systems inherited at independence; second, international communication policy transfers from the UN and its specialized agencies; and third, the post‐Cold War liberalization of the 1990s. The 53 countries on the African continent can be classified into four major media law traditions : (1) the English‐speaking tradition, an eclectic mix of British colonial traditions and indigenous African communication values; (2) the highly centralized regimes of the French‐speaking countries; (3) the ideologically laden systems of the Portuguese‐speaking countries; and (4) the authoritarian media law regimes of North Africa. There is considerable diversity between and within these broad classifications. Each country's media law regime is a reflection of its specific political, economic, social, and cultural context.