The Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) yesterday received state-of-the-art audio and visual electronic equipment including cameras, tripods and computers from the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) to amplify its operations.
Deputy information minister Emma Theofelus said there needs to be an assurance the population has access to the relevant information and that can be amplified with the right equipment.
“We need to ensure the nation is adequately informed to make the right decision about their lives. The opportunities presented by technology today is insurmountable, the country does face challenges and we cannot run away from that,” said Theofelus.
She added: “Access to information remains a cornerstone of decision making, of participatory democracy and one would want to safeguard that as a nation.”
Theofelus reminded the press there is an Access to Information Bill in parliament and foresees that perhaps through this equipment, the nation can complement the viewing they get from other platforms to enable them to get the right information.
“As a ministry, we are trying to invest in adequate literacy, once you have a digitally literate nation, they will have the ability and skills to decipher between fake news, misinformation that has become disinfodemic parallel to the Covid-19 pandemic,” she reminded.
The CEO of Nampa, Linus Chata said the agency has a big dream of transforming it into a world-class multimedia entity that is financially self-sustaining.
“For this dream to be realised, substantial amounts of money need to be invested into the state-of-the-art equipment and other infrastructural requirements. Or internal resources are partly, so when we shared the dream with TIKA, they did not hesitate to jump on board.”
He added that with a reduced subsidy from the government, the agency has redirected its operations through turnaround strategies and reaching for external backup.
“It is our sincere hope that government, through our parent ministry, will continue to support our efforts by an improved subsidy amount in the coming financial year,” he said.
TIKA country coordinator Aydin Apaydin said the programme aims to deliver the Turkish government developmental assistance to partner countries around the world.
- psiririka@nepc.com.na