Powering Sustainable Development with Access to Information

Ms Gwen Lister (Namibia) is an investigative journalist, publisher and press freedom activist. She founded The Namibian in 1985 at the height of colonial rule. The newspaper was constantly the target of right-wing attacks because it exposed apartheid atrocities and supported the struggle for independence. Lister was jailed twice and won several international awards for her work. She was named a World Press Freedom Hero by the International Press Institute (IPI) and received an international press freedom award from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). She is also a founder member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). Lister currently heads the Namibia Media Trust which owns The Namibian, and which promotes media freedom, access to information and journalism excellence.