China To Invest Into Digitalisation Of TVs Across Africa
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The China Africa Development Fund and the China Development Bank could invest close to a billion dollars to further develop the spread of digital TVs across Africa, reported the China Daily on Monday, with over 1.4 million families in 13 African countries now said to be enjoying the benefits of digital TV after the project was first implemented in 2007.
The China Africa Development Fund and the China Development Bank could invest close to a billion dollars to further develop the spread of digital TVs across Africa, reported the China Daily on Monday, with over 1.4 million families in 13 African countries now said to be enjoying the benefits of digital TV after the project was first implemented in 2007.
According to Chi Jianxin, president of the China Africa Development Fund, some $100 million have already been provided to the project by his fund, with another $50 million believed to be incoming.
Furthermore the China Development Bank has already offered $400 million in loans for the project, while another $400-million loan is expected to go to it in the near future.
Pang Xinxing, chairman of StarTimes, the private media group that began the project, told the China Daily that their ultimate goal was to “enable every African family to afford, access and watch good digital TV, enjoy digital TV and build the firm into Africa’s most influential digital TV operator.”
StarTimes provides up to 140 digital TV channels to its African viewers, with many of the programs being produced in China and transmitted across Africa.
“People love the Chinese soap operas that are being broadcast by StarTimes in our country,” said Said Ali Mbarouk, Zanzabar minister of information, culture, tourism and sports.
“We expect our broadcasting time will be longer than three hours a day now,” he added.
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The news came on the onset of the African Digital TV Development Ministerial Seminar in Beijing on Sunday. Last week, the first ever Africa-China Media Cooperation Forum was also held in Beijing, where numerous African delegates, including African Union Commission chairman Dr. Jean Ping, signed an agreement that called for their respective media to “play a determining role in deepening mutual understanding and friendship between both parties.”
According to China Radio International, the agreements also included the rights to broadcast Chinese movies, TV series, cartoons and documentaries in countries such as South Africa, Sudan, Zimbabwe and Mauritius as well as locally produced Chinese radio and TV programs in Africa.
At the First Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation in Beijing on Monday, Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang also called for closer ties between the two partners and said that Chinese sister-city partnerships with Africa will double in the next five years.
Trade between China and Africa reached $166.3 billion in 2011, a 16-fold increase on 2000. China has been Africa’s largest trading partner since 2009, and more than 2,000 Chinese enterprises now invest there.
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