Why Botswana journalists cannot ignore their country’s digital future

When Parliament passed the Access to Information Act in 2024, it was hailed as a milestone for democracy. At long last, people said, there was a legal framework to demand information that for years had been locked away in dusty government files. On the other hand, the Data Protection Act was finding its footing as a safeguard of personal data. However, between these two laws lies the delicate balance of our digital era. That is, the right to know versus the right to be protected and the need for sovereignty over information without suffocating freedom of the press.

Data sovereignty sounds straightforward enough. Those who understand it, understand it as the idea that information stored in Botswana should be governed by Botswana laws. However, for journalists, it is a double-edged sword. On one side, it could protect confidential sources from foreign interference and shield citizens from external exploitation. On the other hand, it risks becoming a convenient excuse for secrecy, with authorities waving the flag of sovereignty to deny access to records that are clearly in the public interest.