Ghana’s full digital migration set for 2018
Smart
grab:
The Minister of Communications, Mrs. Ursula Gifty
Owusu-Ekuful has indicated that Ghana’s complete transition to full digital
migration would be done in phases and also delay for another year till 2018 to
deal with some knotty issues.
By
Edmund Smith-Asante, BEIJING
 |
| Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Communications Minister speaking with a reporter of the Daily Graphic, Edmund Smith-Asante. |
Ghana’s full digital migration would have to wait a
little longer till 2018, the Minister of Communications, Mrs. Ursula Gifty Owusu-Ekuful,
has said.
“It may not be possible for us to do it this year
and I have been advised that it won’t be possible this year. So we are looking
at a phased approach, hopefully from the beginning of next year through to the
end of next year. Definitely by 2018 Ghana would have migrated,” she added.
The digital seminar, which was organised by
StarTimes Communications Group Limited, is on the theme; “Universalise Digital
TV and Enjoy Smart Life” and was attended by delegations from several African
countries including Ghana.
Participation
in Seminar
The Communications Minister said Ghana was
participating in the seminar to learn from countries which had successfully
completed their digital migration but she intimated that her being in Beijing
was also to iron out some issues with StarTimes concerning Ghana’s digital
migration.
She told the Daily
Graphic that “that there are few issues that are still lingering between
the Ministry of Communications and StarTimes – and one of the main reasons for me
coming here is to attempt an amicable resolution of all those issues so that we
can move beyond the arbitration and open a new chapter in our relationship with
StarTimes.”
StarTimes is currently seeking arbitration at the
London-based International Commercial Court (ICC) following Ghana’s cancellation
in 2015 of a contract with the company to install the Digital Terrestrial
Television (DTT) system for Ghana.
In a chat with the Chief Executive Officer of
StarTimes - Ghana, Mr. Hao Lei, he admitted that the arbitration was not
serving any good purpose since it was proving an expensive process.
He said the company was forced to take that road
because it felt the cancellation of the contract by Ghana was not fair. Mr Hao,
however, hoped that all the differences would be settled for both parties to
work together again; saying the money for the work was already available.
Learning,
experience
Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful also said the team from Ghana
hoped to take back home from the seminar experience and knowledge sharing.
“We need to learn from others’ experiences and we
are behind the curve when it comes to digital television – others are ahead of
us so I am hopeful that by participating in conferences of this nature we will
see what they have done, learn from their mistakes if any, and improve upon our
own offering so that at the end of the day knowledge is not only in one
person’s head.
“It is by meeting and building alliances across the
divide that we can also get what the cutting edge technologies are, what the
methods that are being used are, and pick up a few tricks that we can also use
to enhance our own offerings back home,” she said.
Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful said although the seminar was her
first since becoming minister, so far the few conversations that she had had,
had made her realise that it was a very useful decision she took to be part of
it.
Seminar
Over 400 delegates from 46 African and Asian
countries attended the seminar, including more than 30 ministers of information
and communication from African countries, such as Nigeria, Central Africa
Republic, Chad, Guinea, Liberia, Malawi, Zambia, DR Congo and Ethiopia, vowing
to push the development of African TV industry’s digital migration.
 |
| Mr. Pang Xinxing, President of the StarTimes Group delivering his welcome address at the African Digital Seminar. PICTURE BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE |
In his opening remarks, the President of the StarTimes
Group, Mr. Pang Xinxing said that the African Digital TV Development Seminar had
grown into a platform for deeper cooperation and dialogue for the development
of the radio and television sectors in Africa.
Mr. Pang stated that StarTimes was ready to complete
a 10,000 Villages Satellite TV Project under the instruction of Chinese and
African governments. The project is part of a China-Africa cooperation
announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Forum on China-Africa
Cooperation (FOCAC) meeting in the 2015 Johannesburg Summit in South Africa.
Addressing the seminar, the Deputy Minister of China’s
State Administration of Press Publication, Radio, Film and Television, Mr. Tong
Gang, said; “The cooperation between Chinese and African media is in accordance
with the Chinese advocacy of ‘One Belt and One Road.’ China is willing to ensure
deeper cooperation in the field of media development and promoting the digital
migration in Africa.”
For his part, the Minister of Information and
Culture of Nigeria, Mr. Raufu Lai Mohammed, indicated that digital migration
had disrupted the traditional way of communication, saying a new world had been
created whereas the life span of new products had continued to plummet.
He said that the seminar provided an opportunity for
African countries to share their experiences about the expansion of digital
technology as well as plan for the future, indicating that StarTimes had
provided a platform for Nigeria to expand the availability of digital TV and to
achieve diversification of the country's economy.
Writer’s email: edmund.asante@graphic.com.gh
Facts
·
The
Ministry of Communications in January 2015 cancelled a contract signed in April
2012 with StarTimes Communication Network Technology for the supply of a
Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) system for Ghana.
·
According
to the then Minister of Communications, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, the contract
cancellation was because StarTimes had failed to secure the necessary funding
(US$95 million) from the China Exim Bank to execute the project before the
International Telecommunications Union (ITU’s) June 2016 analogue switch-off
deadline.
·
StarTimes hosted the First African Digital TV
Development Seminar in 2011.
·
Since then the seminar has served as a platform for
delegates from various countries to share their experiences and suggestions on
the promotion of digital migration in Africa.
This
story was written on May 23, 2017
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