By Funding towards the Digitisation process has gone up by 41.3% up from $16 million in 2017 to $22.6 million for the 2018 period.
Treasury allocated the $22, 6 million to the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe for the digitization project. This follows incessant calls to inject funds into the Zimbabwe Digital Broadcasting Migration project for it to come to life.
Finance and economic development minister Hon Patrick Chinamasa last week said they are chipping in to close the funding gap for remaining critical works. “Following the challenges encountered in mobilising off-Budget funding for the Zimbabwe Digital Broadcasting Migration Project, the remaining critical works will have to be funded through the Budget,” he said.
Minister Chinamasa added that they set aside $22, 6 million for the project which will see more TV and radio stations created.
He also said the project will be complete next year.
“Furthermore, the BAZ will, in 2018, commence provision of digital services from the 13 transmitter sites that have been completed,” Minister Chinamasa said.
The project appearing to be in limbo was dreamt to generate 4 million jobs and projected to earn more than $1,5 billion per year for content producers,. Last year, Transmedia chief executive Mrs Florence Sigudu Matambo said Government had invested $46 million in the ZimDigital project.
The digitization project was beginning to look a dummy for sale as promises for its completion were continuously fed to Zimbabweans who were waiting for it with bated breath.
The alibi for stalling the project according to Government was inadequate resource mobilization. In March this year, the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services secured $1, 8 million for Setboxes.
Government in October last year said they needed $29 million for digitasation. As at January last year, the project was reported to be 25 percent complete.
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