16 Feb 2020

Government is committed to provide the necessary enabling environment for broadcasting to continue playing its role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

That was said by Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Meshack Mthimkhulu at the World Radio Day commemoration held in Sojwe recently.

“I am aware that government still has to address some policy and legislative shortcomings for broadcasting to keep pace with modern developments and consumer expectations,” he said.

Mr Mthimkhulu said government was also looking into community radio broadcasting, which he said was another area of interest.

“Radio remains the only medium with huge reach and ability to capture large audiences and facilitate public discourse around one issue nationwide,” he said.

Commercial radio stations were launched in Sojwe to benefit villages of Lephepe, Boatlaname, Sojwe, Shadishadi and Loologane.

The assistant minister hailed the launch as a timely development that would bring a different service offering, particularly in creating enjoyment for the youth.

“I understand it was through funding from the Universal Access and Service Fund (UASF) that today we have commercial radio service that I now have the privilege and honour to officially launch,” he said.

Availability of such radio services, he said would also bring diversity and plurality of content for the people in that area.

“To you the people of Loologane, I present to you new radio services which I trust you will find enjoyable and beneficial for your needs as a region. Do make use of them to market your area and all that it has to offer,” he said.

Mr Mthimkhulu thanked the Ministry of Transport and Communications and its partners for facilitating provision of commercial radio in the area.

He indicated that broadcasting, as a section of the ICT sector had been part of the development of the country from its inception as a republic.

He noted that Radio Botswana had played a pivotal role in nation building at a time when there were individual ethnic communities under their respective tribal authorities.

“Radio Botswana also played a crucial in facilitating public education particularly around Agriculture as the mainstay of the economy then.

I wish to take this moment to pay tribute to Radio Botswana in particular, for its role in the development of the Botswana we know today.

Arrival of commercial radio broadcasting played and equally important role in ushering diversity and providing for difference audience needs,” he said.

Meanwhile, this year’s theme addressed three main sub-themes: to advocate for pluralism in radio, including a mix of public, private and community broadcasters, encourage representation in the newsroom, with teams comprised of diverse society groups as well as promote a diversity of editorial content and programme types reflecting the variety of the audiences.

However, Botswana chose to localise the theme to a version that spoke to ‘Pluralism, Representation, and Diversity: Towards a More Inclusive Radio Environment’.

“Our localised theme desires to see every Motswana across the country having access to diversified forms of media. Batswana should be able to participate in debates and share their stories across many broadcasting platforms in keeping with the vision of the President, Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi,” the assistant minister said.

He indicated that at every available opportunity, President Masisi had laid bare his vision for the country to make ICTs an integral part of his administration to improve service delivery to Batswana.

He added that technological advancements had undeniably created diverse ways to access information. ENDs