By Edith Mutethya in Nairobi, 21. December 2019StarTimes Kenya, the contractor of Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages, a China-Africa Cooperation project that aims to reduce the digital divide in African rural areas, on Friday official...
By Edith Mutethya in Nairobi, 21. December 2019
StarTimes Kenya, the contractor of Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages, a China-Africa Cooperation project that aims to reduce the digital divide in African rural areas, on Friday officially handed over the $80 million digital television project to the Kenyan government.
Launched in June 2018, the project benefited 800 villages across Kenya's 47 counties. Twenty households in each of the villages were installed with satellite television service composed of a satellite dish and a high definition set top box.
Three public institutions in each village also received two solar powered satellite projector TV systems and one 32-inch television set.
Andy Wang, the CEO of StarTimes Kenya, said 16,000 households and 2,400 public institutions benefitted from the project.
Additionally, 1,600 technical personnel received special skills training in installation and maintenance of the digital television project.
"We applaud the government of China for conceptualizing this initiative, which is key in growing access to digital television in the wake of the migration from analogue to digital broadcasting, and the Kenyan government for warmly welcoming this investment," Wang said.
He said the company's engineers and the 1,600-member technical support team, local leaders and communities worked together to successfully implement the project.
"As we handover the 800 digital villages in Kenya, it is our belief that this project is a true testament of what can be achieved in cooperation between governments and the input of the private sector in promoting the socio-economic and political prosperity of our economies," he said.
In a speech read on his behalf at the handover ceremony, Joseph Mucheru, the cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication, thanked the Chinese government and StarTimes, as well as other local partners for making it possible to realize the project.
"This is a true testament of mutual relationship and cooperation between our two countries, as well as the private sector. It's my hope that we will see greater opportunities arising from here moving forward," Mucheru said.
He said the realization of digital satellite and terrestrial reception is a major achievement in ensuring that Kenyans have access and enjoy the benefits of the digital platforms that will enable them to acquire information necessary for decision making in the knowledge-based economy.
"The availability of a balanced mix of local and international channels will increase access to information, which will go a long way in bridging the urban-rural digital divide," Mucheru said.
He reiterated the government's continued commitment to supporting and protecting investments in the ICT industry in an effort to ensure that the entire population in the country has access to affordable ICT products and services to enjoy benefits accruing from digitization.
Wu Peng, the Chinese ambassador to Kenya, said implementation of the project is an important part of the China-Africa cultural exchange cooperation program.
"We believe that the implementation of the project will effectively promote cultural exchanges between China and Kenya, greatly enrich daily lives and improve the cultural knowledge of locals," he said.
Wu said China's assistance to Kenya will be closely aligned with the Big Four Agenda, to provide help for job creation and income improvement for local people.
Kenya's handover ceremony comes barely two months after StarTimes handed over the 1,000 digital TV project to the government of Nigeria. A total of 20,000 households benefited from the project.
The Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages project was announced by President Xi Jinping during the opening ceremony of the 2015 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation as one of the summit resolutions.
It is funded by the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund, which aims to gather China and international resources to promote South-South cooperation and help developing countries realize the goals set by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Original Source: https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201912/21/WS5dfdc825a310cf3e3557fbee.html
