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Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Mwansa Kapeya said in Lusaka yesterday that the national task force on digital migration was currently working on the technical aspects of the tender which would be advertised in the media soon.
“Government pledges its commitment to mobilise resources for Zambia’s successful digital migration in line with the International Telecommunication Union deadline of June 2015,” Mr Kapeya said.
He said this during a Press briefing to update the media and the nation on the various measures and activities Government was undertaking to enhance smooth flow of information.
Government in September this year cancelled the tender for the digital terrestrial migration citing irregularities in the process.
The cancellation was in line with advice from the Zambia Public Procurement Authority after it had reviewed the procurement process for the tender.
Mr Kapeya also said the consultants engaged to review the Access To Information Bill (ATI) had completed their work and forwarded their report to the ministry for revision.
He said technocrats in his ministry were currently studying the report and would conclude the exercise within the course of this week, after which the report would be submitted to the Ministry of Justice for consideration and advice.
Government recently postponed the presentation of the ATI Bill to Parliament after realising that the document was in conflict with some existing pieces of legislation.
The minister also announced that Government had decided to give public media institutions money from the budgetary allocation in the 2014 National Budget to help the firms address the challenges they were facing.
He said the Government had allocated K560, 000 to Times Printpak, K360, 000 to the Zambia Daily Mail, K360, 000 to Zambia Printing Company, while the Zambia Institute of Mass Communications would receive K460, 000.
“We are aware that this is not enough, considering the longstanding financial challenges faced by these institutions, but the intervention represents Government’s commitment to ensuring the public media institutions are helped financially in order for them to serve the Zambian people better,” he said.
