Nigeria’s Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed is among the 30 ministers present at the ongoing 7th African Digital TV Development Seminar which kicked off on Monday in Beijing, China.
Over 400 delegates from 46 African and Asian countries were present at the seminar and information ministers from African countries like Nigeria, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Guinea, Liberia, Malawi, Zambia, DR Congo and Ethiopia have vowed to push the development of African TV industry’s digital migration.
President of StarTimes Group, hosts of the seminar, Pang Xinxing said in his opening speech that the seminar has grown into a platform for deeper cooperation and dialogue for the development of the radio and tv sectors in Africa.
Apart from hosting the annual event, Pang also mentioned that StarTimes is ready to complete the 10 Thousand Villages Satellite TV Project under the instruction of Chinese and African governments. The project was announced by the Chinese President Xi Jinping during the forum on China-Africa Coooperation Meeting in the 2015 Johannesburg Summit.
Tong Gang, Vice Minister of China State Administration of Press Publication, Radio, Film and said at the opening of the seminar; ‘’The cooperation between Chinese and African media is in accordance with the Chinese Advocacy of One Belt and One Road. China is willing to deeper cooperation in the field of media development and promoting the digital migration in Africa.
Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture of Nigeria, indicated digital migration had disrupted the traditional way of communication, saying a new world has been created where the lifespan of new products has continued to plummet.
He noted that the seminar provided an opportunity for African countries to share their experiences about the expansion of digital technology as well as planning for the future.
‘’StarTimes had provided a platform for Nigeria to expand the availability of digital TV and to achieve diversification of the country’s economy,’’ he pointed out.
The company hosted the first edition of the seminar in 2011 after which it has become a much-talked phenomenon in Africa’s TV industry and important platform for delegates from various countries to share their experience and suggestions.