The exchange of notes was signed between the Japanese Ambassador to Angola, Sano Hiroaki, and the Director of the International Cooperation Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, José da Silva.
According to a press release from the Japanese Embassy in Angola, the 4G mobile network and internet penetration rate in Angola remains below 40 percent, meaning television continues to be a valuable source of information for the population.
"Currently, television broadcasting in the country is conducted in analog format, predominantly in Portuguese. However, approximately 70 percent of the population speaks several national (ethnic) languages, which generates a high demand for subtitling and multilingual broadcasting – characteristics of the Japanese digital terrestrial broadcasting standard," the statement states.
For the Japanese government, this project is important because Angola is vulnerable to natural disasters, requiring the implementation of emergency alert broadcasting to enable more effective and efficient communication of meteorological and disaster prevention information, "making the adoption of the digital terrestrial system urgent."
This project involves the installation and modernization of digital terrestrial transmission infrastructure and equipment at the Viana and Palácio da Justiça transmitter stations in Cidade Alta, Luanda province, as well as at the Sombreiro station in Benguela city. The project aims to "improve the Angolan population's access to information, thus reducing inequality in access to television and news content."
This assistance will be implemented through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which has already been collaborating with the Angolan Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technology and Mass Communications in this sector.
Following the Exchange of Notes, the Government of Angola and JICA will sign a Grant Agreement.
Cooperation in the "Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcast Network Development Project" is divided into three phases: Plan Development; Infrastructure Development and Equipment Supply; and Viewer Outreach and Promotion Activities.
