BUJUMBURA January 25th (ABP) – The Minister of Communication, Information Technologies and the Media, Mrs. Léocadie Ndacayisaba, presented on Monday, January 24, 2022, in Bujumbura, the summary report of the achievements covering the period from the 1st July to December 31, 2021, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
The Minister responsible for the Media pointed out that the activities carried out for the first half of the 2021-2022 financial year concern the implementation of the Annual Action Plan (AAP) as well as the initiatives and affect the various sectors that constitute the Ministry of Communication, Information Technology and the Media.
At the level of the central administration, the said ministry has worked on the implementation of the PAA, the coordination of the departments under supervision as well as the initiatives. To establish good governance at the level of the central administration, Mrs. Ndacayisaba said that the general inspectorate of her ministry has multiplied inspection actions of the activities carried out within the ministry. A commission is also working to develop a strategy to fight fraud and corruption within the ministry, she added.
In the sector of communication and the media, the law governing the press has been a concern of the ministry. Consultations between partners in the sector have taken place to propose changes to be made to the press law because, explained Minister Ndacayisaba, the media law in force is proving to be incomplete given the changes that this area is constantly undergoing. to undergo.
The mobilization of the people for the implementation of the National Development Plan was also a concern of the media, both public and private, hence the production of several programs, synergies, reports and press articles in various fields, in particular the tax compliance, the fight against fraud, the increase in production, the fight against Covid-19 and many other pandemics, the promotion of hygiene, human rights, to name but a few.
Alongside the support given to the President of the Republic’s program aimed at raising awareness to increase production, the National Radio-Television of Burundi (RTNB) produced several awareness-raising programs on tax compliance, which earned it a certificate of merit offered by the Burundian Revenue Office (OBR), on the occasion of the celebration of the day of the taxpayer, pointed out the minister having the Media in his attributions.
She pointed out that the protection of the environment, the fight against desertification through the “Ewe Burundi Urambaye” program was at the center of the media’s concerns, specifying that the RTNB produced 36 programs, while the Burundi News Publications (PPB)produced 35 articles, not forgetting the production of articles and programs on hygiene, sanitation and family planning.
In terms of support for government action, the RTNB carried out 1,632 reports, the Burundi News Agency (ABP) produced 1,457 articles, while the PPB published 376 and so on. The programs of the spokespersons of the institutions were regularly broadcast in synergy with the media, without forgetting the public program hosted on December 29, 2021 by the President of the Republic and broadcast live in all the media, Minister Ndacayisaba said.
During that first semester, a television broadcasting and multiplexing agreement was drawn up and presented to the Cabinet meeting, which gave guidelines, in order to make the Digital Television Broadcasting Company (STNB) operational and thus allow television to migrate to digital.
The minister in charge of the media pointed out that the Kits of the 190,000 decoders acquired with the help of China, which are necessary for the start of digitization, are already in stock in Bujumbura, stressing that they will soon be distribution to households. Alongside the operationalization of the STNB, a project for access to satellite television for 10,000 African villages, including 200 villages in Burundi, is being implemented. Equipment for the implementation of the project has been distributed across all provinces, she noted.
The Minister of Communication, Information Technology and the Media took the opportunity to thank all those who were involved in all those so-called satisfactory achievements even if the challenges were not lacking. She asked them to double their efforts during the following months to achieve their goals.