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Allows 25 percent media ownership by foreign nationals
The Council of Ministers approved a draft proclamation on the media that will serve as a legal framework for print and broadcast media alongside the first legal framework for Internet media.
It was indicated that the bill strongly supports the exercise of freedom of information to strengthen freedom of expression and of the press.
The most important amendment to the bill is said to be the new provision that the media must not be held accountable for defamation.
Additionally, the bill allows foreigners to invest in Ethiopia’s media sector and own a stake of up to 25 percent. The current proclamation prohibits media ownership by foreign nationals. .
The bill also allows the reinstatement of the media licensing and regulatory institution, the Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority, under the name “Ethiopian Media Authority”. Members of the Authority’s board cannot be members of a political party and their responsibility has been shifted from the Office of the Prime Minister to the House of People’s Representatives (HPR).
Furthermore, the draft regulation encourages the establishment of a system of self-regulation of the media.
Under current law, there is no provision for registration and licensing of websites that provide text and image information to media using only Internet technology. Therefore, the draft stipulates that such media must be registered and licensed.
