Windhoek
The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) has received about N$342 million accounting for over half of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT)’s budget for the 2015/16 financial year. Meanwhile, N$26 million has been set-aside for both New Era Publication Corporation (NEPC) and the NamZim, meaning each will get N$13 million.
While introducing the ministry’s budget allocation in the National Assembly on Wednesday, MICT Minister Tjekero Tweya urged all State-owned enterprises (SOEs) and government offices, ministries and agencies to make use of services provided by NEPC, saying this would enhance the corporation’s efforts to acquire its own printing press and thus offset the high printing costs currently being incurred.
Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) will receive N$20 million for its operational budget to gather and provide local news contents to international, regional and local networks and vice-versa with an expected output to increase news features, news sourcing of stories, compilation of news bulletins and the production of news audio clips.
The MICT budget for the financial year under review is about N$604 million.
Tweya said NBC will receive approximately N$342 million, as a national public broadcaster to inform, educate and entertain the nation via diverse platforms in order to promote peace, nation building and unity.
The minister noted that the national broadcaster will continue with the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) rollout, and it has so far covered at least 67 percent of the Namibian population, meeting the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) deadline, which requires all countries to switch from analogue to digital television broadcasting by June 2015.
DTT is the technological evolution of broadcast television from analogue television, which transmits land-based (terrestrial) signals.
“So far, the towns of Okahandja, Rehoboth, Windhoek, Arandis, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and the northern towns of Oshakati, Ongwediva, Oshikuku, Elim, Oniipa and Onyaanya have been completely switched to DTT and the next switch off will be determined very soon,” stated the MICT minister.
“I would like to emphasise that information is power that creates a knowledgeable society and when people have no access to information, ignorance will give rise to social disharmony,” he said.
In his motivation, Tweya said the media is also encouraged to tell Namibian stories to visitors so that they know more about the country.
“We have identified a gap in telling Namibian stories abroad and therefore, we will start reporting about the programmes and activities of Namibian missions abroad in order to inform and educate our people on what our missions do and also tell Namibian stories to the world,” he noted.
He also vowed that State media would give extensive reportage on government capital projects, as this will act as a tool to not only expose opportunities in terms of job creation in order to fight poverty, but also to promote accountability, good governance and improve service delivery.
Other programmes he motivated for within the ministry include, institutional policy and information technology infrastructure development, print media affairs, audio-visual media and copyright services as well as coordination and support.