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Victoria Falls Reporter
The broadcast media must actively participate in the country’s development agenda, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa has said.
In a speech read on her behalf by her deputy, Cde Kindness Paradza, at the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) strategic planning review workshop in Victoria Falls yesterday, Minister Mutsvangwa, said Government had undertaken a raft of media reforms.
She hoped that the sector would perform its role with credibility, objectivity and professionalism.
Minister Mutsvangwa said as a State enterprise, BAZ was expected to build its strategy from that of the Ministry to reflect the national agenda.
She said BAZ was expected to actively shape the country’s digital economy through installation of shareable telecommunications infrastructure to help close the urban to rural digital gap and ensure continued investment in digital television roll-out envisaged under the Zimbabwe Digital Broadcasting Migration Project.
“The Ministry’s strategy is founded on the national key result areas of image building and international engagement and improved international relations,” she said.
“Because of technical convergence, the authority also finds itself in conversation with other areas like the digital economy and infrastructure which cuts across all areas of the economy for the achievement of Vision 2030.
“Broadcasting services is an integral part of transforming the social economic and democratic processes of our country.
“The role of broadcasting media cannot be overemphasised in national development and achieving Vision 2030, and the authority is expected to continue to play its crucial role as a regulator in mass media communication which is essential more than before in this global village.”
Minister Mutsvangwa said Government expected BAZ to continue supporting the devolution agenda through capacitation and launch of community radio stations for realisation of the Second Republic’s policy agenda.
The Ministry was alive to the challenges facing BAZ, especially underfunding of the digitalisation project, foreign currency shortages and the limited supply of set-top boxes, said Minister Mutsvangwa.
“The expectation is also upon the authority to continue towing the devolution agenda through capacitation and launch of community radio stations, for example the complete launch of campus radio stations in the realisation of Education 5.0 objective of practical learning in journalism and broadcasting engineering,” she said.
“There is a need to shape the broadcasting sector into a multi-million-dollar business with immense contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product. We must be cognisant of the fact that broadcasting media plays a big role in shaping public opinion, promoting development, democracy and good governance, facilitating nation building and advancing policies that promote a high quality of life for all Zimbabweans.”
Minister Mutsvangwa said the Second Republic was committed to funding the digitisation project to completion and Treasury will expedite the release of budget allocations to deliver outstanding work.
Treasury allocated more than $1,4 billion to BAZ for the digitalisation project in the 2022 National Budget.
Minister Mutsvangwa said although the allocation was inadequate, it showed the extent of Government’s efforts to support the authority to achieve its objectives.
BAZ board chairperson Engineer Charles Sibanda said the broadcasting regulator was part and parcel of Vision 2030.
Eng Sibanda said BAZ’s major milestones for the previous year included the licensing of six new digital television services, 14 community radio services, eight campus radio services and one satellite content distribution service.
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