Startimes Media Malawi, a Lilongwe-based Chinese company, says it will provide decoders, TV sets and related equipment to 200 villages in Malawi during the second phase of “Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages” project which the company is implementing in Malawi.
This follows the success of phase one of the project which was implemented in 2019 and provided digital satellite TV to 500 villages across Malawi.
The company will provide 4,000 decoders to 200 villages during the phase two of the project, said Liu Qingfeng, sales director of Startimes Media Malawi, in an interview with Xinhua Wednesday on the sidelines of Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) Open Day held in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi.
He added that the company will install TV sets, solar systems and projectors in three kinds of public places, including hospitals and schools, in the targeted 200 villages.
According to Liu, Startimes Media Malawi is currently procuring the equipment such as TV sets and decoders which will start to be distributed to the households and institutions in the targeted villages from September to December 2024.
He said Startimes Media Malawi is working with MACRA to identify the beneficiaries of the project.
Liu added that the project is to make sure that people in Malawi, especially those in rural communities, have access to satellite TV so that they can follow various programs and news around the world to stay updated.
He made a commitment to keep working with the Malawi side in enhancing digital communication that will help to strengthen the relationship between the Chinese and Malawian governments.
Baldwin Chiyamwaka, principal secretary for Malawi Ministry of Information and Digitalisation, hailed Startimes Media Malawi for “complementing government’s efforts in ensuring easy access of facilities that people can use to watch news and other programs.”
Chiyamwaka added that the Malawian government expected to get continued support from Startimes Media Malawi so that more people in Malawi, particularly those in rural communities, will have access to satellite TV and be able to follow what is happening across the world.
