Communication policies in the African context: Towards an operational and conceptual framework

Abstract

This paper is written as a contribution to an understanding of the position and nature of communication policies in Africa. Very few African countries have articulated clear-cut and definite media policies and the lack of such communication policies have bedeviled the development of the press on the African Continent. There is no shortage of Government statements or ministerial speeches proclaiming African Governments' commitment to democratising information and communications but to translate that commitment into reality has always been a perennial problem. There is therefore a pressing need to examine the constraints and to see what can be done to overcome some of the problems affecting the operation of the press on the continent. It is in the nature of a Discussion paper that it is circulated to stimulate debate and discussion. It is to be hoped that some of the assertions in this paper will provoke responses and reactions from other researchers and journalists themselves so that we might enhance our understanding of the role and function of the press in the Third World.