Namibia Number Two In Press Freedom In Africa

7 May 2025

Diverse media landscape, especially in radio. Freedom of the press is enshrined in the constitution and has been successfully defended in court on several occasions. Journalists are largely unhindered in their research and are not exposed to attacks.

This is how the organisation 'Reporters Without Borders' describes the situation of press freedom in Namibia in its latest report. With 75.35 out of 100 points, Namibia ranks second in Africa, just behind South Africa, and 28th worldwide.

Until two years ago, the land of endless horizons was even ranked first in Africa. The best ranking to date was in 2022, when 'Reporters Without Borders' ranked Namibia 18th out of 180 countries worldwide with over 80 points.

Norway tops the World Press Freedom Index  with more than 90 points - and has done so for years. The Netherlands (3), Switzerland (9) and Germany (11) have less than 90 points.

Like Namibia, the United Kingdom (20), Austria (22) and France (25) score between 70 and 80 points. Italy (49) and the USA (57) are not even above the 70-point mark.

Milestone in the African media world: The 'Windhoek Declaration'

Namibia has a population of just over 3 million (see report on Namibian.org on the latest census). And yet, there is one state and one private television station as well as one state and four private newspapers. Namibians can also subscribe to about half a dozen online newspapers.

Radio in particular can lay claim to great diversity. The state broadcaster Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) operates a channel for almost every language group in addition to the national service in English. There are also a large number of private broadcasters and community radio stations.

Incidentally, Namibia's capital is firmly associated with the concept of freedom of the press. In 1991, one year after independence, the UNESCO seminar 'Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press' took place in Windhoek. The so-called 'Windhoek Declaration' is considered a milestone in the African media world (see article on Wikipedia).

Sven-Eric Stender