State reaffirms plans to recapitalise public media

Information and Broadcasting Services Deputy Minister Mwansa Kapeya made the assurance in Kabwe on Thursday, 11 April 2013, when he toured the Times of Zambia, Zambia Daily Mail and Radio Maranatha offices.

Kapeya said plans to recapitalise the three public media institutions had reached an advanced stage as the government was aware of the challenges.

The government, he said, would not sit back and watch the media institutions operate under difficult circumstances.

He said the financial woes faced by the institutions would come to an end and called on workers in the respective institutions to remain committed to duty and continue disseminating information to the public.

The deputy minister said any government needed the media to inform the nation on vital developmental achievements and programmes.

"I want to say that as government, we are not sitting idle and folding our arms on the problems facing our media institutions and this is why we have reached an advanced stage in our plans to recapitalise the three institutions," Kapeya said.

Times' managing director, Godfrey Malama said the newspaper company would remain committed to disseminating information to the public despite the challenges it was experiencing.

Malama expressed gratitude that the government was responding positively on the need to recapitalise the three public media institutions.

He said the media was a key partner to development, adding that it was important that government rescued the public institutions from financial woes.

Source: allAfrica