Pan-African radio, TV channel coming

Remmy Nweke

A two-day conference of African Ministers of Information and Communications would today, take off in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The meeting is anticipated to adopt a draft and programme for establishment of a Pan-African radio and television channel.

To be presided over by the chairman, African Commission for the establishment of Pan-African Radio and Television Channel and President of Senegal, Mr. Abdoulaye Wade, the conference is in accordance with the request by the Executive Council meeting last February in Egypt at the fifth ordinary session of the assembly, which mandated the African Ministers for Information and Communications to discuss the relevant substantive, technical and financial issues, and to present their recommendations in this regard to the sixth ordinary summit.

Mr. Wade is also expected to present to the conference the commission’s conclusion of experts’ meeting held in Cairo, last November and a follow-up on committee meeting in Cairo, last February on the project.

A draft agenda made available to correspondent indicates that the conference is to hold an election of the bureau, as well as debate on key points including “A Pan-African Channel, Why? To Whom? Editorial policies and contents of programmes of the Channel: Which programmes? And to which publics?

Also there would be continuation of debates on mobilization of financial resources; who is financing the project and how before the presentation of the Egyptian proposal.

Afterwards, there would be a key point debate on management of the channel; how is the channel financed and by whom? This precedes the conference session on technicalities; comprising technical means and which satellites to deploy.

According to the decision on the establishment of this channel in February this year, the Executive Council of the Commission has noted the proposal by Egypt to host the Terrestrial Broadcasting Centre (TBC) of this Channel, and her readiness to provide the technical facilities necessary for the functioning of the centre and to make use of her satellite capabilities.

The council also took cognizant of the importance of socio-cultural assimilation in Africa as an element of stability.

It was mindful of the significant role the media play in enhancing public awareness, particularly in the field of healthcare and protection against communicable diseases among others.

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