Coordination of Rwanda’s media sector has been moved from the Ministry of Local Government to the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), The New Times has learnt. The change follows recent government appointments that elevated the RGB Chief Executive Officer to the rank of minister according to Judith Uwizeye, Minister in the Office of the President. The adjustment will help streamline responsibilities and ensure that issues affecting the media sector can be taken directly to Cabinet. ALSO READ: Eight facts about Rwanda media financial status Bosco Rushingabigwi, Head of the Media Department at RGB, explained that the shift addresses long-standing overlaps in institutional mandates. “The Ministry of Local Government was coordinating media, while RGB also had media sector coordination and capacity-building responsibilities. This duplication often created conflicts,” he said. When the Ministry of Information was dissolved years ago, its media oversight duties were distributed among different agencies: the Media High Council handled capacity building, the Ministry of Local Government managed coordination, and the Office of the Ombudsman took charge of access to information. Later, when the Media High Council was phased out, its duties went to RGB, intensifying overlaps with the Local Government ministry. To avoid duplication and improve efficiency, media sector coordination activities and staff have now been fully transferred to RGB. ALSO READ: Inside Rwanda’s media working conditions Currently, media regulation is spread across several bodies: self-regulation by the Rwanda Media Commission (RMC), radio frequencies and broadcasting oversight by the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA), and now sector coordination under RGB. A stronger cabinet voice Rushingabigwi noted that RGB’s new position within Cabinet will ensure that media-related concerns are elevated more effectively. A Media Sector Technical Group has also been established to bring together government bodies, journalists’ associations, media houses, NGOs, and other stakeholders. Journalist René Anthère Rwanyange welcomed the move but urged RGB to strengthen its media unit and extend oversight to online platforms, including influencers and digital creators. Could the ICT ministry take on the role? Some practitioners argue the Ministry of ICT and Innovation could also house media oversight, given the sector’s growing dependence on technology. “About 75 percent of media operations are ICT-related,” said Rwanyange. ALSO READ: 44% of media staff earn less than Rwf200, 000 monthly Emmanuel Mugisha, Executive Secretary of RMC, pointed out that the ICT Ministry already oversees several policies that affect the media, Such as AI Policy, Cyber Security Policy, Data Protection Policy, National Broadband Policy and Strategy, Digital Talent Policy, the Radio Communications Licence Fees Order, and others. However, Rwanyange added, “There should not be concerns about media oversight being under RGB, now that it has a seat in Cabinet.” Media policy still pending Meanwhile, the national media policy, drafted in 2023, has yet to receive final Cabinet approval despite Parliament’s call in April 2025 for it to be expedited. The policy is expected to provide updated guidance for the sector in light of rapid technological change, the rise of citizen journalism, and the spread of misinformation. “The current laws are outdated, and the last policy was never fully implemented,” Rwanyange observed. “RGB should follow up closely to ensure the new media policy moves forward.”. “The policy we are phasing out was not implemented as it should have been, because it required that at least every quarter, media stakeholders meet and that the ministry in charge presents the status of the media in a cabinet meeting but this was not done. The current laws we are operating under are not updated, and the policy is also outdated, yet technology has changed a lot. RGB is responsible for monitoring and governance. It should follow up on the progress of the media policy,” Rwanyange added.
