Local media houses stand a chance to access grants from a new Covid-19 recovery Fund designed to help mitigate the economic impact of Covid-19 on the media sector. The Fund has been established by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in collaboration with the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB). It has so far mobilised Rwf100 million. The funds will be disbursed through a competitive process. The public broadcaster is not eligible since it receives budgetary support from the Government. According to officials, the Fund was set up to support efforts of media outlets to deal with the effects of Covid-19 on their operations. It is also hoped that the support will allow the media to play a more active role in the ongoing efforts to contain Covid-19. In applying for the funds, media houses are required to focus on generation and dissemination of content meant to help prevent and fight the pandemic, according to the call for applications. Application documents should include the budget of the planned activities (worth a maximum of Rwf10 million), a copy of a valid [media] registration certificate from competent authority, proof of contract for at least three 3 staff members who would be involved in the implementation of the project, and a clearance certificate from the bank or proof that the media organisation does not have a non-performing loan. The deadline for the submission is September 10. Successful proposals will be selected by an independent panel. Implementation of successful project proposals will last for not more than three months. Emmanuel Mugisha, Executive Secretary of the Rwanda Media Commission (RMC) – a media self-regulatory body in Rwanda – told The New Times that the Fund is meant to ensure that the local media are supported during these hard times while also playing a key role in raising awareness about Covid-19. Because the support is limited, Mugisha said, priority will be given to proposals that emphasise commitment to helping fight Covid-19. “Journalists have been advocating for some sort of intervention to help the sector during this time and the Fund is a direct response to that,” he said. Gerald Mbanda, Head of Media Sector Development Department at RGB, told The New Times that, like other sectors, the media was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. He said this added to the challenges associated with digital disruption which saw the media lose a significant portion of advertisement revenue. Mbanda noted that digital technologies have seen companies and institutions increasingly advertise on new media platforms, such as Twitter, at the expense of mainstream media platforms. “Indeed, Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the financial constraint of the media,” he said. “Though the support cannot fully address the financial constraints the media are facing, it will offer some relief. And, there is hope that more support could be availed in the future,” he said. Eligibility criteria To be eligible for the grant, a media house has to be legally registered and operating in Rwanda – which should be attested by a certificate provided by the competent authority – and has to be employing at least three members of staff. The applicant should have been operating for a minimum of three years after the registration date and should be practicing ethical journalism in their operations. It should also be ready to air or publish Covid-19 content on their platforms. According to the registry of RMC, as of January 16, 2020, there were 161 media houses – including television, radio, online and print – in the country.
