Access to Information crucial to the attainment of vision 2030: Govt

Harare (New Ziana)- Access to diverse sources of information is a critical strategy that the government is using to mobilise the people towards the attainment of the country’s development agenda, a senior government official has said.

The government has set a target of transforming the country into an upper middle-income economy by 2030.

As such, Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary Nick Mangwana said the government had identified access to information as a tool that can help bring the people on board with its vision and aspirations.

“The whole point is when we give people access to information we are actually mobilising the critical mass towards a common vision to take our country where it needs to be. People cannot support the government, cannot support programmes, cannot support a vision, cannot support an aspiration unless they have information. They need to be informed,” he said in an interview with New Ziana on the side lines of the launch of a new television station, ZTN Prime.

“The point of having multiple information platforms is that people can tune in where they are more comfortable where they have got more access and because of that they will be able to find their own space within the government’s vision, within the state’s aspirations and they will own the aspirations.”

Mangwana said more private radio and television stations would be licenced, highlighting that the launch of ZTN Prime was a huge milestone in government’s quest to open up the airwaves.

“As a government we want information to get to everybody. There is scope for licencing more radio and TV stations because we are moving from national radio stations to local commercial radio stations and community radio stations as well as TV stations.

“As a permanent secretary and with my Minister Honourable (Monica) Mutsvangwa we came in when there was one television station, this day actually marks a massive milestone because there are more television stations.”
New Ziana