Leaders of the three-member of Ethiopian Media Council met in Kigali, Rwanda from April 25-29, 2022 at the invitation of the Rwanda Media Commission.
The leaders of the Council who participated in the exchange program were Mr. Tamerat Hailu (Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Council) Dr. Negusse Meshesha (Vice-Chairman of the General Assembly of EMC) and Dr. Agardech Gemaneh (Member of the Arbitration Commission of EMCl).
The EMC leaders visit the Rwanda Media Commission Office, the Rwanda Utility Regulatory Agency, various radio stations, the Rwanda Utility Authority and finally the Rwandan Genocide Memorial Museum.
The Rwandan Media Commission was established in 2013 and has gained legal status through its core functions, regulating media content, accreditation of media professionals and institutions, consulting, awareness services, organizing discussions, workshops, the media and society. Introduce or create awareness of rules and regulations regarding relationships.
Since its inception, the Rwanda Media Commission has received 466 complaints from the public and institutions. The main sources of grievances are self-reported, unsolicited reporting and defamation reports on social media.
As many as 205 media outlets were registered with the commission, 969 journalists (743 men and 226 women) received accreditation from the commission. Nine radio and television stations and 196 print and online media outlets were registered. When a journalist leaves a media outlet, he / she returns the license.
The delegation also visited the Royal FM 94.3 Radio Station under the University, which is operated by the University of Mount Kenya; The station covers 40% of the service in English and 60% coverage in Ikinyarwanda, a Rwandan language. There is a 14-hour broadcast daily.
The group also visited the Kigali Today multimedia institution founded by young investors. Kigali Today was founded in 2011. Kigali Today is the largest private station in the country. The station is co-owned by five Frequent FM radio stations, YouTube, and online media, including a newspaper that was out of print due to Covid.
Kigali genocide museum is built in a place where more than 258,000 people were killed.
Rwanda Utility Regulatory Authority (Rura)is another office visited by the group . Its main objectives are to implement a policy that regulates radio and telecom-related institutions, to license, to promote fair media competition, and to help ensure quality broadcasting capacity.
Daba Debele, the newly appointed Ethiopian Ambassador to Rwanda, presented his credentials to President Paul Kagami invited the group a dinner party at the Ethiopian Embassy in Kigali on the eve of his return to Addis Ababa.
On the occasion, the EMC leaders presented a handmade gift of Ethiopian historical heritage to the leadership of the Rwandan Media Commission, which successfully conducted the exchange of experience.
The next day, the leaders of the Rwandan Media Commission also presented a traditional Rwandan gift to each Ethiopian Media Council leaders and the exchange of experiences sharing program was successfully concluded.
