Speaker hails China for support towards digital migration

By Nassiwa Hanifah /link- www.eyewitnessug.com/parliament press

The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga has hailed the Chinese government for supporting digital migration in Uganda.
Kadaga said China through StarTimes, a digital TV service provider, have extended coverage to many parts of the country averting a situation where Ugandans would not be watching educative and informative programmes.

“I want to thank the Chinese Government. Through such programmes, our people will be able to be informed on time and also realize the many opportunities outside their communities,” she said.

Kadaga was speaking at the closing ceremony and handover of the access to digital television project at Starlight Primary School in Kananage, Kamuli District .

Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages, a China-Africa Cooperation project, aims to reduce the digital divide in African rural areas by giving villages access to digital television.

The Speaker urged the community to embrace the programme in order to access news and information.

She however, requested the Chinese government to scale up coverage because presently only 30 per cent of villages in Uganda can be reached.
Kadaga asked the regulators to remove channels that promote homosexuality and provide educative programming.

Hon Nyombi Thembo, who represented the Director, Information Communication and Technology in the ICT Ministry, thanked the Speaker for her zeal towards digital literacy in schools.

“As the Commission, we shall continue to pursue our investor-friendly regulatory framework geared towards ICT for all, a regulatory framework that respects the rights of the viewers, is gender sensitive and promotes peace, unity and prosperity of people,” he said.

The Chief Executive Officer of Startimes, Mr. Andy Wang said that the project would improve service delivery in schools and health centres.
He added that it would create jobs for the youth who will work as technicians in the 500 villages where the project has been implemented.
“Over 1,000 youth will be trained and hired as technicians to help in installing and maintaining equipment,” Wang said.

The Resident District Commissioner Kamuli, Dumba Moses, thanked the Speaker for supporting development programmes and encouraging investors to set up in Uganda and Kamuli in particular.