North-Western Province Minister Nathaniel Mubukwanu has said community media plays a significant role in promoting good governance and national development.
Mr. Mubukwanu said community radio ensures that the public is well informed and decides on issues of national interest.
He said this at the handover ceremony of Lukulu Community Radio staion recently.
“Community radio stations do not only keep the public informed but also gives them a forum through which they can be heard. This is vital because a well informed citizenry makes the work of government easier.”
He noted that government is ready to spread media coverage to remote areas and not interfere in the operations of the media unless something terribly goes amiss.
The minister observed that a lot of hot issues like the constitution making process, HIV/AIDS prevention especially PMCT are being discussed through the media and it is a pity that the majority of people in rural areas cannot access such information because they lack proper access to any form of media.
“The stakeholders undertook a needs assessment in the province and it was revealed that Lukulu district was in dire need of a radio station. This was due to the fact that print media does not circulate papers in the area and the National Broadcaster can only be accessed through satellite which is quite expensive for an ordinary Zambian”, he explained.
And the Acting Lukulu District Commissioner assured the minister that the station which had a target audience of about 28,000 people will not be a platform for personal attacks.
Meanwhile, MISA Zambia National Director Hebert Macha said stakeholders should continue working together to ensure that the station remains operational.
Mr. Macha said the station will start broadcasting once ZICTA issues the station with a frequency. The Lukulu Radio station project was initiated in 2010 and was scheduled to be operational by 2012.