KDF to make recommendations to parliament on Digital transition

By Caroline Pomeyie, GNA
Accra, Jan. 20, GNA - Ernest Dumor, Founder of the Komla Dumor Memorial Foundation, said the foundation will have a team to consider the proceedings involved with digital migration.

'My hope is that we will have a team who will look at the proceedings, organise all the issues involved and make it available for further discussion. With that we can go forward to government or any other agency involved in the digital transition of Ghana, to make recommendations.'

Mr Dumor said this at the 3rd anniversary panel discussion organised by the Komla Dumor Memorial Foundation in partnership with the World Bank Office-Accra.

Panellists and participants who took part in a discussion on the topic: 'Digital Transition in Ghana,' made recommendations to ensure the smooth transition from analogue to digital.

Edmund Fianko, the Manager, Engineering at National Communications Authority (NCA) noted that Ghana needed to adopt standards, a digital network, make specifications for the receivers to set top boxes, decoders have to be in the market place for people to acquire which will receive the digital services.'

He added that both the analogue and digital would run side by side. But when the transition ends Ghana will switch off the analogue. The digital switch on, and analogue switch off date are very critical.

Kabral Blay-Amihere, Former Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC) said: 'Because there is no policy framework we are back to 1993 when the NCA was created and given the mandate to regulate frequency without reference to the NMC. For years there has been no collaboration.

'There need to be a framework for both the National Communications Authority (NCA) and NMC to collaborate.'

Mr Akwasi Agyemang, President of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association, called for the finalisation of the digital migration policy.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, one of the panellist suggested that the consumer must be supported in acquiring the digital TV box.

'We can provide the financial institutions with an incentive, either through taxation or creating a fund for financial services to support the consumers. We also need to do something about the analogue boxes so we don't allow importation of junk whilst encouraging people to go digital.

'A low cost swap mechanism can be adopted such that the old analogue boxes will be collected and facilitate the acquisition of a digital TV box.

'We have work together with the Ministry of Communication to craft a digital migration policy. As we speak, we don't know.'

GNA