The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Senator Monica Mutsvangwa has vowed that her ministry will do its best to lobby for additional funding to ensure the completion of the Digitalisation Terrestrial Television (DTT) migration project.
In a speech read on her behalf by Chief Director in her Ministry, Mr Jonathan Gandari during a Strategic Planning Review Workshop which was being hosted by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) at a local hotel early this week, Sen Mutsvangwa said the ministry will ensure the success of the project.
She said BAZ was expected to actively coordinate the digital migration project, a key national project which deserved critical thinking and appropriate strategies.
“The ministry will support all the work that needs to be done by BAZ to ensure full contribution to the economic blueprint, National Development Strategy (NDS1) and ultimately Vision 2030,” she said.
This comes shortly after Treasury allocated $1,5 billion towards the digitilisation project in the 2023 National Budget.
“The ministry understands that the digitalisation project has been allocated about $1,5 billion in the 2023 National Budget. We understand that the allocation might not be adequate and the ministry will do all it can to make sure that the project is well-funded,” she said.
Sen Mutsvangwa said there is need for the DTT project to be recast to allow for more funding through Treasury.
“The ministry is, however, aware of the challenges facing BAZ and notable among them is the under-funding of the digitalisation project, foreign currency shortages allocation and the availability of set top boxes.
“BAZ is an engineering inclined organisation and should get the required funding for it to move forward with its projects,” said Sen Mutsvangwa.
She said her ministry is ready to support strategies that seek to solve these challenges.
Sen Mutsvangwa also said Government’s expectation is for BAZ to identify universities to partner with on research, design and development of some of the technology required by the authority.
“This process of skills and resource matching should lead to a predictable and transparent approach to innovation and industrialisation.
“There must be some equipment and products that the engineers at BAZ will champion and help produce in order to reduce the importation bill,” she said.
“Local and international resource mobilisation strategies to supplement the envelop from Treasury are indeed very important.
“This programme needs to be done in the next three years (2023 – 2025). Again, the nation will rely on the advice from the BAZ board and the secretariat on the way forward and the possible solutions,” she said.
In an interview on the sidelines of the workshop, BAZ chief executive officer, Mr Tendai Kapumha said the digitalisation project is ongoing, although it needs to be recast.
“We are working with various stakeholders to recast it. We want to thank those who have partnered us in developing the broadcast industry, particularly the community radio stations. UNESCO has come in to assist us in the provision of equipment for the stations, as well as ZACRAS,” he said.
Mr Kapumha said the workshop seek to establish how BAZ and its stakeholders can mobilise resources to invest in the broadcasting sector.
He said BAZ will ensure that the country’s transmitters are digitised so that citizens receive digital services.
