By Staff Writer

Harare – The Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) today, 12 November 2025, hosted its 2025 Annual Media Stakeholders Conference in Harare, where media professionals, government officials, civil society actors and international partners convened to validate the newly launched Zimbabwe Media Policy and discuss its implementation.

The conference opened with remarks from MAZ Chairman, Mr Perfect Hlongwane who emphasized the urgency of operationalizing the Zimbabwe Media Policy and commended the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services for its willingness to collaborate with civil society in ensuring media development in the country.

Addressing delegates and officially opening the conference, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Dr. Jenfan Muswere underscored government commitment to media reform. “The Zimbabwe Media Policy is a first integrated media policy in Zimbabwe supported by legislation including the Broadcasting Services Act, Freedom of Information Act, Cyber and Data Protection Act, Postal and Telecommunications Act and other legislations,” said Dr Muswere.

Representatives from International Media Support (IMS), UNESCO and the Swedish Embassy delivered solidarity messages, reaffirming international support for Zimbabwe’s media development efforts. “The Zimbabwe Media Policy serves as an important guide and UNESCO remains fully committed to collaborating with every one of you in supporting the implementation of this policy,” highlighted UNESCO representative.

The conference had three panel discussions with the first panel focusing on media sustainability. The discussions centered on best practices in innovation, diversification of revenue and adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in local newsrooms. The second panel tackled media co-regulation, with contributions from Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC), Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ), and Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Media. The conversation explored models for balancing statutory and voluntary regulation.

The third and final session addressed safety of journalists and gender policies and discussed the United Nations (UN) Plan of Action on the safety of journalists, gender and sexual harassment policies.

Each year, MAZ convenes a media stakeholders conference to discuss the country’s media environment including challenges and opportunities. This year’s edition becomes the first after the launch of a national media policy in March 2025 by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.