Ephraim Keoreng
6 November 2009
Assistant Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mokgweetsi Masisi, has urged the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) to assist member countries in the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting.
Speaking at the Third General Assembly of the AUB in Gaborone, Masisi said that as the global community migrates to digital transmission, Africa has to be vigilant and ensure that old technologies are not dumped on the continent to unsuspecting consumers. He stated that it is through cooperation and coordination that Africa can advance in its pursuit of projects like the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting.
He paid tribute to AUB saying that it plays a pivotal role in programme exchange, especially in television broadcasting. The assistant minister said that the exchange programme in the African region presents an appropriate platform to know more about each country's culture. "It is my hope that as we join the global village, broadcasting organisations will showcase programmes from other African countries and cultures," he said.
Masisi hailed the efforts of the AUB in negotiating and acquiring sporting rights for broadcasting organisations in Africa.
"It is through such noble achievements that African broadcasters, including our own Botswana Television, managed to pay for television rights to FIFA for the soccer World Cup, which will be staged in South Africa," he said.
He hailed the AUB for working hard to take advantage of the World Cup to train African broadcasters. There have been training sessions conducted by FIFA officials in Africa through the programme themed 'AUB Broadcast Academy'. Masisi said the training will equip broadcasters with the requisite skills for live broadcasting as well as the marketing aspect of sporting rights.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 Mmegi/The Reporter. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
