The Department of Communications (DOC) congratulates the Eastern Cape province for having initiated the process of collaborating with the department in support of the DoC’s strategy that was adapted to develop local content.
In May this year the department successfully hosted the Local and Digital Content Summit. There were a number of issues that were discussed from the development of policy to funding. Amongst these issues was the community TV workshop, which was anticipated to develop a broad outline that will assist in making sure that the processes for which community TVs are launched seamlessly and successfully.
Today, the Eastern Cape province in collaboration with the Department of Communication is hosting The Eastern Cape Local and Digital Content Summit to assist the province in adapting the Local Content Strategy to the provincial needs of the communities. The department is in support of the initiative that the province has taken in setting up the Eastern Cape Community Television station (ECCTV).
It is imperative for the country to start moving towards the conversion from analogue to digital content not only for better quality, but also to preserve the current local content that can be accessed for years to come . This means that we start bridging the digital divide by creating quality, locally produced content with better sound and picture.
“We are pleased to have commenced with the development of the Local Content Strategy as this has been under discussion for a long period of time. The strategy will assist in identifying the niche economic opportunities in the Eastern Cape, and that the development of the information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and access particularly in the rural areas is underway.” says, Gen (Ret) Siphiwe Nyanda, Communications Minister.
We are confident that the Eastern Cape province will get involved in partnerships with the private sector, industry leaders, local content developers, Universities and Amakhosi to assist in the advancement of the strategy.
The Summit, which was addressed by the Deputy Minister, Ms Dina Pule, hopes to encourage the locals to take part in content development, so as to create content that is relevant to their needs and daily lives. This will have a positive impact, not only on their lives but also the local economy which will have an enormous benefit to the people of the province through job creation, skills development and increased tourism.
The Eastern Cape province is rich with culture and tradition and it is critical that this is preserved in the local content for future generations as there’s insufficient content to feature and to communicate to the outside world about the richness of the province. It is therefore, the aim of this summit to discuss issues of this nature and to embark on a journey to reach a creative way forward.
Enquiries:
Busiswa Mlandu
Cell: 072 070 6896
E-mail: Busiswa@doc.gov.za
