Media development organisations
Afghanistan laws officially recognize institution in both governmental and non-governmental sectors. According to the media law of Afghanistan, any individual could establish a media development entity unless he/she is prevented by law.
There are more than 20 Kabul-based media development organisations. Also almost the same number of organisations are working in provinces on the media sector development. The leading organisation in this regard is Nai Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan, which is working in two areas: capacity building and advocacy. Nai identified some of these organizations and listed them on their website. The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee is another organisation that works in the safety and capacity building areas.
The existence of media development organisations is a sign of development in itself, but one of the biggest problems is the sustainability of these organisations. None of these 40 organisations are sustainable. Efforts and struggles to receive funds or sponsorships sometimes cause unnecessary competition among them.
Furthermore, the lack of professionalism is an issue for media development organisations as it is for media. Some of the organisations are established to be a financial tool for the management and never follow the values of the sector. This undermines the trust-building process towards the sectorial media development organisations.