Namibia is due to receive special recognition in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, later this evening at an award ceremony of the International Festival for Freedom of Expression and the Press (FILEP).

The award is in recognition of consistently maintaining the number one ranking in media freedom by Reporters Without Borders.

The 10th edition of the FILEP in Ouagadougou brought together more than 200 participants from 40 countries.

The 10th International Festival of Freedom of Expression and the Press (IFFEP) will bestow Namibia an award for its consistent top-ranking position on media freedom in Africa on Saturday evening.

The award ceremony will take place at 22:00 and will be broadcast live on nbc2 or channel 283 on DSTV.

The game between South Africa's Springboks and England in the second semi-final of the Rugby World Cup will be live on nbc1 starting just after the news at eight.

Participants in a panel discussion on Media, Law and Digital Responsibility at the ongoing International Festival on Freedom of Expression and the Press (FILEP) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, agreed that maintaining and upholding professionalism in journalism is critical.

As part of the festival, several panel discussions have been lined up, dealing with pertinent issues affecting the media landscape.

Among many others was the discussion on Media, Law and Digital Responsibility in which nbc's Chief News and Programming Officer, Menesia Muinjo, took part.

The 10th edition of the International Festival of Freedom of Expression and the Press started in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The Pan-African meeting will move into higher gear with the official opening expected tomorrow.

As part of its main mission to promote and defend freedom of expression and the media, the festival will pay special tribute to Namibia for its consistent number-one ranking in Africa in terms of media freedom.