Online Reporter
Sunday Mail Reporter
INFORMATION SOVEREIGNTY is critical as the country journeys towards achieving an upper middle-income society within the next five years, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere has said.
Addressing board members and management executives from key media institutions, including the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), Transmedia, the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) and Zimpapers, on Friday, Dr Muswere emphasised the importance of achieving universal coverage and heritage-based broadcasting to preserve the country’s culture, language and values.
“On an inclusive programme of action, we will relaunch the ZimDigital Phase 2, because the current circumstances indicate that 38 percent of our geographical coverage in terms of television is the current status. And in terms of radio status, the current status and statistics is that we have 62 percent in terms of geographical coverage,” he said.
“So, the inclusive approach will ensure that we cover all the 16 officially recognised languages in terms of heritage-based broadcasting, and at the same time ensure that the local content strategy is also supported, in line with media and communications policy …
“On the legislative part, we have managed to work together to introduce to Parliament the Broadcasting Services Act amendments, which is the BSA [Chapter 12:06], which is ongoing in terms of public hearings.”
Dr Muswere said the first media and communications policy, which will integrated for the first time, will be launched by President Mnangagwa during the first quarter of the year.
“The first media and communications policy, which is integrated for the first time, will be launched perhaps in the first quarter of 2025 by His Excellency, the President, Dr ED Mnangagwa. I am aware a number of board members and executives and other stakeholders played a pivotal role for us to be able to have an all-inclusive stakeholder-oriented with a whole-of-society approach, as we seek to ensure that policy formulation and development is all-inclusive.”
He also underscored the need for a strategic plan to drive the ZimDigital Phase 2, as data sovereignty was critical to achieving Vision 2030.
“We need you, as board members and executives, to be able to come up with a strategic plan, which is individual, which is collective, for each and every institution, and at the same time an integrated strategic plan in order to move the ZimDigital Phase 2, for we cannot achieve if we have no control over information sovereignty, for data sovereignty is very critical as we journey towards and upper middle-income society.
