KIGALI, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda's media sector performance improved from 69.6 percent in 2016 to 72.4 percent in 2018, said Rwanda Governance Board (RGB)'s biennial report released here Wednesday during celebrations to mark the Africa Day of Information.

When the Rwanda Media Barometer was first introduced in 2013, media sector performance was at 60.7 percent.

The state of media freedom in the central African country stands at 81.3 percent while access to information is at 76.4 percent, said the report named Rwanda Media Barometer, which is aimed to monitor and assess media performance in the country.

Poor retention of best journalists, lack of media capacity building and lack of journalists' commitment to media professional codes of conduct pose serious threat to media sector development in Rwanda, according to the report.

The media industry in Rwanda is on an upward trend but the profitability of the sector remains a big challenge, said Gerald Mbanda, Head of Media Affairs and Communication Department of RGB, at the launching.

Access to information is the most improved indicator, due to awareness campaign on access to information law conducted in public and private institutions by RGB, he said.

Judith Uwizeye, Minister in the Office of The President, urged African journalists to tell true stories about Africa.

"It is essential that the manner in which Africa is reported changes. Telling the true African stories is fundamental in transforming our continent," she said.

Access to information is critical for citizens to monitor and hold their government to account, which empowers citizens to claim their rights, transparency and accountability, she added.