Supporting local content production and copyright protection in Namibia
Namibia recognizes the potential of the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) to accelerate economic growth and social development. In order to realize this vision, the country is committed to creating an environment where creative contents are protected and the Namibian artists and cultural professionals are encouraged to create, produce and disseminate their works. The project assists Namibia in developing a measure to boost local content production and in revising copyright legislation so the new challenges presented by digital environment are properly addressed. In particular, it responds to the following needs and challenges identified by the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture:
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A measure to enforce local content programming as set out in Namibia’s 2018 Broadcasting Code will be created. This new measure will support broadcasting licensees to elaborate their local content policy and submit it to the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia, advancing local content broadcasting.
In order to incentivize local content production, the project also revises the country’s 1994 Copyright Act to meet today’s challenges linked to the digitalization of CCIs. The adapted Act must ensure that the work of Namibian creatives is adequately and effectively protected and that they are able to earn income from their artistic work. It also aims to integrate a comprehensive definition of the arts, accompanied by a concrete implementation strategy.
- May 2020: Project Launch.
- May-September 2020: Diagnostic phase.
- September 2020: Peer-to-Peer with the Zimbabwean arts sector to learn from the Zimbabwean measures to promote local content creation.
- January 2021: Peer-to-Peer with Malawi to exchange on copyright measurements, specifically in the digital environment.
- September 2021: Elaboration of an analysis of the revised Bill by international and national experts, and participation in the review sessions organized by Business and Intellectual Property Agency (BIPA) in November 2021.
- January 2022: Participatory Bill was submitted to the Minister of Industrialization and Trade and Attorney General for scrutiny.
- 2022: Drafting of a roadmap proposing measures to promote local content.
Spin off activities:
- May 2020: ResilArt debate.