By MILDRED KATONGO –
THE Government has said that information dissemination and sensitisation will help people make informed choices on political candidates during this year’s general elections.
Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Chishimba Kambwili said information and sensitisation programmes were key to assist voters make informed choices.
He said the increased sensitisation was also another way to fight voter apathy.
He said this when he paid a courtesy call on Northern Province Minister Freedom Sikazwe in Kasama yesterday.
Mr Kambwili is on a five-day tour of the province to appreciate the challenges that people in the province are facing in terms of accessing information.
“Information plays a vital role in ensuring that people make good decisions. We are in an election year and we need people to be well-informed and elect their leaders from a well-informed point of view,” he said.
Mr Kambwili said his ministry was aware of the challenges that many rural parts of the province were facing in accessing a good television and radio signal.
He said with the digital migration project, television and radio reception in rural areas would be improved.
Mr Kambwili said the first phase of the digital migration project at a cost of US$9 million was being implemented along the line of rail, while the second and third phases to cost $273 million would be undertaken in provincial headquarters.
The minister said a contractor had already been identified and was waiting to conclude a loan agreement with the Exim Bank of China.
Mr Kambwili also said the Government would equip Zambia National Information Services (ZANIS) to help sensitise the people on various projects that would be implemented in the province.
The Government would expedite the installation of the equipment at the printing press at ZANIS offices.
He said the printing press would help print newspapers in local languages to help further inform and educate members of the public.
Mr Sikazwe said the only challenge that the people were facing was not having access to information due to bad television and radio reception.
He asked the ministry to intervene and help find measures to help the people be informed on the many Government projects.
“We have resorted to using community radio stations to disseminate information, but that is not enough because these stations are limited in terms of frequency,” Mr Sikazwe said. “The television and radio reception is bad, especially in Mpulungu,Kaputa, Nsama and many surrounding areas.”