State keen on developing ICT

MINISTRY of Information and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary Emmanuel Mwamba says Government has placed high premium on the development of information and communication technology (ICT) because of its role in changing people’s lives.
Mr Mwamba said at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) social good summit 2013 in Lusaka yesterday that ICT is an important sector in transformation of people’s lives economically and socially.
“In this regard, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services has embarked on the modernisation of the public media institutions namely the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, Times Printpak and Zambia Daily Mail,” he said.
Mr Mwamba said Government has also prioritised the development of the mobile phone industry because it plays an important role in enhancing the free flow information.
He said the thrust of the modernisation process is to establish the presence of the public media institutions on the social media platforms such as Facebook and other online platforms for enhanced and widened public access to information.
Mr Mwamba said the ongoing digital migration process from analogue to digital television broadcasting is another landmark development in the modernisation process of the country’s media industry in terms of technology.
“Government is confident that these and other measures will contribute significantly to a well-informed, socially-interactive, innovative and empowered citizenry,” he said.
UNDP country director Viola Morgan said the 2013 social good summit aims to bridge the gap between the toughest development challenges and the long-term solutions by finding new answers to old problems.
And Securities and Exchange Commission chief executive officer Wala Chabala said mobile telephone technology and the social media have helped developing countries like Zambia to nationally connect at lower cost to Government.