Botswana has recorded a sharp 20-percentage-point decline in perceptions of media freedom over the past five years, placing it among the steepest fallers in Africa, according to the latest Afrobarometer survey
GAZETTE REPORTER
Botswana has recorded a sharp 20 percentage-point decline in perceptions of media freedom over the past five years, placing the country among the worst performers in Africa.
This is according to the latest findings by Afrobarometer titled “Demand for civic space holds strong across Africa as supply of freedoms wanes.”
The report shows that while Africans broadly continue to value civic and media freedoms, the actual space for expression and independent journalism is shrinking in many countries, including Botswana.
Across 30 African countries surveyed over time since 2019, Afrobarometer finds that perceptions of media freedom have declined by an average of 4 percentage points. Botswana’s 20-point drop is significantly above the continental average, signalling what analysts describe as a rapid contraction of civic space.
BOTSWANA’S SHARP DECLINE
According to the report, in Botswana, “a bare majority (53%) see [the media] as ‘somewhat’ or ‘completely’ free to report without government interference, but more than four in 10 (43%) describe it as ‘not very free’ or ‘not at all free.’”
The findings suggest a country that is increasingly divided in public perception over how freely journalists can operate.
REGIONAL COMPARISON SHOWS WIDER CONTRAST
The report highlights stark regional differences across the continent.
While countries such as Liberia (47%) and Zambia (45%) recorded the highest proportions of citizens who believe their media is “completely free,” fewer than one in 10 respondents held that view in Nigeria, Eswatini, Cameroon, Togo and Congo-Brazzaville.
Botswana, once widely regarded as one of Africa’s stronger democratic performers on press freedom, is now listed among countries experiencing significant declines.
AMONG STEEPEST DECLINES IN AFRICA
Afrobarometer notes that alongside Guinea (-34 points), Lesotho (-22 points), and Nigeria (-22 points), Botswana (-20 points) is among those recording the steepest reductions in perceived media freedom.
The pattern places Botswana in an increasingly scrutinised group of states where civic space is seen to be contracting faster than the continental average.
BROADER CONTINENTAL PICTURE
Although the report does not single out Botswana’s administration in its qualitative analysis, the statistical decline places renewed scrutiny on the country’s governance environment and the space available for journalists and media houses to operate freely.
Across Africa, public opinion remains split: 14% of respondents say the media is “completely free,” 37% say it is “somewhat free,” while a combined 41% believe it is either “not very free” or “not at all free.”