Mradi wa China wa mfumo wa televisheni wa digitali wanufaisha wananchi wa Uganda

Takriban nchi 16 barani Afrika zinaripotiwa kukamilisha mradi wa serikali ya China wa kuhakikisha kwamba vijiji 10,000 barani Afrika vinafaidika na uhamiaji kutoka mfumo wa runinga wa analogia kwenda digitali bure bila malipo.

Miongoni mwao ni pamoja na Rwanda,Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasi ya Kongo,Uganda,Burundi na Kenya.

Mradi huu haukuinua tu hadhi ya vijiji barani Afrika na kupunguza changamoto ya uunganishwaji wa mawimbi ya digitali lakini pia imesaidia nchi za Afrika kufurahia matunda ya maendeleo na upatikanaji wa habari.

Mwandishi wetu Khamis Darwesh amezuru jijini Kampala,Uganda,na kutuandalia ripoti ifuatayo.

Ripoti zinathibitisha kuwa nchi zilizonufaika na mradi huo zimeupokea kwa mikono miwili.

Mradi huu unaendelea kutekelezwa kufuatia maazimo ya mkutano wa kilele wa ushirikiano kati ya China na Afrika wa mwaka 2015 ambapo Rais wa China Xi Jinping aliahidi kuwa serikali yake itafanya mradi huu katika vijiji 10,000 barani Afrika.

Nchini Uganda tayari vijiji 500 vimeunganishwa na mfumo wa televisheni wa digitali.

Mradi huu unaoitwa "Upatikanaji wa Televisheni za Setilaiti kwa Vijiji 10,000 barani Afrika" unafadhiliwa na serikali ya China na kutekelzwa kupitia Wizara ya Habari,Mawasiliano,Teknolojia na Uongozi wa Kitaifa.

Mradi huu unatekelezwa na kampuni ya StarTimes kote barani Afrika.

Afisa Mkuu Mtendaji wa kampuni ya StarTimes Uganda Fraklin Wang anasema kuwa walionufaika na mradi huu wamefurahi sana.

"Wamefurahi sana,na wanaishukuru serikali ya China na StarTimes kwa msaada huu.Pia wanatarajia msaada mwingine"

Wang alisema mradi huu utahakikisha kwamba waganda wengi walioko vijijini wanapata habari na ufuatiliaji wa vipindi mbalimbali.

Wang pia amesema kuwa kila kijiji kilipata televisheni kubwa mbili za projekta ,televisheni moja ya nchi 32,dekoda 20 na madishi a setlaiti.Televisheni za projekta zimeunganishwa na mfumo wa nishati ya jua.

Aidha alisema mradi huu ulitoa nafasi za aajira kwa vijana.

"Wakati wa utekelezaji wa mradi huu tuliwapatia mafunzo ya ufungaji na uunganishaji vifaa watu 1,100 ambao moja kwa moja walihusika katika ufungaji wa vifaa na kuwapa fursa nzuri ya kutia makali ujuzi wao"

Meneja wa mradi huu nchini Uganda Bw.Matia Ssemukula anasema mradi huu uliwaongezea StarTimes idadi ya wateja.

"Baada ya kuwaajiri watu 1,000 na kuwapa mafunzo ya ufungaji walipendezwa sana na StarTimes kwa sababu tulikuwa tukiwalipa.Sasa hivi wafungaji 23 wameajiriwa rasmi na wengine 400 ambao wanalipwa kutokana na mauzo.Mradi huu uliongeza pakubwa biashara yetu kwa sababu sasa tuna watu kila mahali"

Mugole Gomer ni Mwalimu Mkuu katika shule ya Crane Educational Centre.Shule hii ni moja ya walionufaika na mradi huu wa vijiji 10,000 barani Afrika wa televisheni za digitali.

"Tunaitumia kuwafunza wanafunzi wetu haswa wale wa Chekechea.Tumekuwa tukifunza kwa kutumia hiyo projekta.Sisi ni miongoni mwa watu ambao wamenufaika katika eneo hili.Hiyo imetusaidia sana katika njia nzuri"

Andy Wang, the chief executive officer of Star Times Uganda said all the 500 villages received two StarTimes projector TVs, one 32-inch digital TV set, 20 DTH decoders, and satellite dishes. The projector TVs and digital TV set will be equipped with a solar power system and DTH access units.

Mr Wang said the project will ensure that many rural Ugandans easily access information, especially government programmes.

"The project aims to implement satellite TV programs for 10,000 African villages and enable more African rural families to watch satellite TV which is in accordance with StarTimes' corporate vision, which is to ensure that every African family can access, afford, watch and share the beauty of digital TV", he said.

He added that the project will help improve service delivery since institutions like schools and health centres can use the digital television infrastructure for demonstration purposes. School children now have access to educational channels like Divinci Learning on StarTimes, which will increase innovation among the group.

He also pointed out that the project will create jobs for youths who will work as technicians in the 500 villages. "Over 1000 youth will be trained and hired as technicians to help in installing and maintaining of this equipment," he said.

The project has its roots in a keynote speech made by Xi Jinping, the President of China, at the opening ceremony of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Johannesburg, South Africa on 4 December 2015. In the speech, Mr Jinping announced that China would implement satellite TV programs in 10,000 African villages.

At the summit, China also said it will provide $60 billion in funding to African countries for industrialization, agricultural modernisation, infrastructural development and people-to-people exchanges, among others.