Africa-Press – Zambia. Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema has raised concerns about the effectiveness of partnerships entered into by the country’s public broadcaster, ZNBC, arguing that many of these deals have failed to bring meaningful value to the organization.
Speaking at State House during a meeting with the ZNBC Board, led by Chairman Joseph Kazhila, President Hichilema stressed the need for a comprehensive review aimed at making ZNBC financially sustainable.
Despite recent dividend declarations from some of its partners—MultiChoice Zambia paid out ZMW 57.5 million last June, and Topstar Zambia recently issued a dividend of just over K3 million—the broadcaster continues to struggle with financial challenges.
The Topstar deal, in particular, has been a source of mixed feelings on the board. Under this joint venture, Topstar holds a 60% stake while ZNBC retains 40%. As per the agreement, Topstar manages advertising and tower rental revenues for a period of 25 years to repay a loan that funded the transition to digital broadcasting infrastructure.
Yet, even with these partnerships in place and hundreds more on the books, ZNBC still finds itself unable to purchase utility vehicles or pay staff salaries on time.
President Hichilema’s comments signal a growing frustration at the broadcaster’s ongoing financial woes and a desire to see clearer results from ZNBC’s commercial arrangements.- MUVI TV
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