Community radios are the furthest ICTs for rural people

LOCAL Scientists believe that local communications can boost development and democracy in rural areas by using community radios. Their transmission enables isolated communities across Africa to voice their own concerns and explore ways to improve education, share farming tips and income generation ideas.

THROUGH Community radio stations, the vast majority of the marginalized African group listeners in remote rural areas can hear news, practical information and the views of their neighbors.

But despite of a multitude of new information outlets, millions of Africans especially in rural areas remain voiceless. Most media remain largely state controlled. But the tide of democracy sweeping the continent has seen governments loosening their grip on the airwaves.

While radios are best form of communication and the furthest reaching ICT in rural African communities, some cannot operate properly because of lack of finances. But the majority of the people can afford and do not need to be illiterate.

The device enables the poor in most African rural communities to solve their isolation as they do not have any other cheap and reliable access to information apart from other communication channels such as the internet, telephones and televisions which need stable infrastructure.

Since the emergence of community radios in Africa which came into being as early as in 1990s, few challenges have dogged them as constantly as the one of sustainability, and in most cases their operations have been intervened by governments.

Traditionally, radios have changed the lives of the rural communities as people listens extensively and put announcements on the air to tell relatives about important social events, and other forms of traditional entertainments.

Community radios might have engaged in income generating activities such as small scale farming, market gardening or chicken rearing. Radio projects bring opportunities for community members to learn new skills, thus improving prospects for employment at commercial stations.

In 1985, statistics made available by the World Association of Community Broadcasters (AMARC) by its French initials, showed that, there were fewer than 10 independent radio stations on the entire African continent.

But today, South Africa alone has more than 150 community radio stations, and other countries are catching up. But despite of the proliferation, Tanzania has none, this is because of the fact that, the government is not yet in a position to allow them as almost 99 percent of the country’s population are unified in one Kiswahili national language.

Mali the second from South Africa, has one of the strongest community radio networks in Africa, and it has more than 110 private radio stations, 86 of them are community radios mostly rurally based.

This is contrary to Tanzania whereby the state has registered 35 radio stations to operate in the country in the last 10 years. Unfortunately, out of these there is no a community based radio station or vernacular radio stations.

This is for reasons basically known as related to the strengthening of national solidarity. Before that, only one radio station was workable since independence in 1961. This is a state owned radio, known as Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (“Former Radio Tanzania Dar es Salaam”).

Moreover, community radios are especially important in countries with high illiteracy rates and where many rural people speak primarily local, indigenous languages.

Statistics issued by a registering body, Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) as up to December 2007, shows that out of these 35 registered radio stations, among them are privately owned and there are those owned by the religious institutions.

The idea of accelerating development by using both older media such the radio and newer information and communication technologies such as the internet and mobile phones has gained momentum in Africa over the past decade.

Broadcasting services can foster regional trade and improve integration into the global economy. The ability of ordinary people to communicate each other also helps promote democracy and good governance.

The cost of setting up communications infrastructure is steep, however, especially in rural areas where distances are vast and population densities are low. Radios by contrast are inexpensive and can run on batteries or solar power, and by far is the dominant mass medium in most rural communities in Africa.

Studies shows that, there is one radio receiver for every five people compared with one telephone receiver for every 100 people, and the content of radio programs is also cheap to create and cheap to consume, says Mrs. Grace Githaiga, the Executive Director of Eco-News Africa.