Mutharika for total digital migration: China helps Malawi extends satellite TV coverage to rural areas

President Arthur Peter Mutharika has commissioned a project dubbed Access to Satellite TV for 500 Malawian Villages which will see some households in rural areas being connected to satellite television and says he wants rural communities to join  urban counterparts in digital migration to enjoy access to information.

President Mutharika (right) at the launch of Access to Satellite Television for 500 Malawian villages sponsored by the Chinese government
Crowds of DPP supporters who attended the event in Dowa

The project being financed by the Peoples Republic of China is targeting 500 villages across the country and 20 households in each beneficiary village are going to be given satellite television sets where they will be accessing up to 21 local and international channels for free.

Speaking on Tuesday during the launch of the project at Mponela 2 Primary School ground in Dowa, Mutharika said the coming in of the project is a result of cordial bilateral relations between the Governments of Malawi and China.

He said the project will ensure that people in rural areas are being entertained and informed just like their counterparts in towns.

“Our goal is to make sure that people in rural areas are having access to satellite television programs for their learning, exposure and decision making.

“When people have information, they make informed decisions and participate meaningfully in national development,” the President said.

In his remarks, the Peoples Republic of China Ambassador to Malawi, Liu Hongyang said the project was hatched at the Forum on Africa —China Cooperation (FOCAC), where President of the Peoples Republic of China, declared that China will provide satellite TV reception to 10,000 African villages during a 2015 summit held in Johannesburg.

“After the consultations between relevant authorities of China and Malawi, 500 Malawian villages were identified to benefit from the project. As the main platform and mechanism of China —Africa cooperation, FOCAC has made great achievements in promoting our bilateral relations and cooperation since its establishment,” he said.

The Ambassador added that China-Malawi relations have entered a new era of rapid and comprehensive development and the two governments will continue to broaden and enrich the cooperation by creating favorable conditions for cooperation in production capacity, human resources development, infrastructure, agriculture and others.

Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Nicholas Dausi said politics means bringing happiness to the people and what the DPP government is doing is bringing happiness in peoples homes.

“All the 193 constituencies in the country are benefiting from this project and this means a great number of people will have entertainment in their homes. This also means improved access to information as the people will view different channels from all over the world,” said Dausi.

Speaking earlier before the launch the Dowa District Commissioner (DC), Alexander Mdooko said satellite television will help people access information on different issues like health, education and current affairs.

StarTimes Group which is contractedl to implement the project in the country has registered subsidiaries in 30 countries, and is operating in 19 countries with more than 20 million users.

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Noxy
5 years ago

Wonderful development

Gwemula
Gwemula
5 years ago

Wayamba kuonda Pumbwa wankulu hahaha sakugona tulo ndi zinganga zomwe akuliza a mcp a utm ma cso achina Kajoloweka achina abiti Manice Daudi ngakhalenso uyu nzanga wapa kzn Santana nayenso wasowa kkkkkk

Dobadoba
Dobadoba
5 years ago

What Quota system have they used to distribute this 500

Typical
5 years ago

This is being done to slowly feed the masses propaganda. Exactly the same way China maintains its grip on its people. Forcefeeding people bullshit to maintain control over the rural masses. Mark my words, this China alliance will bite us some day.

jokes on you
5 years ago

so that azionela mbc???kkkkkk

kanyimbi
kanyimbi
5 years ago

Is this a priority?

tizanka
tizanka
5 years ago
Reply to  kanyimbi

Typical Malawian negative thinking

Mtondoli Jonazi
Mtondoli Jonazi
5 years ago
Reply to  tizanka

Not negative thinking but facts.

A majority of Malawians in rural areas need better services more than a TV signal: hospitals, access to schools, income generating activities, food on the table and the like. Not to watch government propaganda on MBCTV (or whatever they call it) or CCTV. Three quarters of the programmes on TV are useless anyway (especially on public channels), so don’t tell me they will learn anything worthwhile by watching TV – why not give them proper IT infrastructure and cheap internet – they can learn more on the internet and get entertained to boot!

Patrick Phiri
Patrick Phiri
5 years ago
Reply to  kanyimbi

Primitive Kanyimbi

Mtondoli Jonazi
Mtondoli Jonazi
5 years ago
Reply to  kanyimbi

No. Not a priority, but if government propaganda needs to be effectively dished out, rural areas (where the majority of the poor masses that believe anything ‘gavament’ says live) must be able to receive a TV signal. Can you dig it?

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