WALVIS BAY - The Board of Directors of the Southern African Broadcasting Association (SABA), recently met in Walvis Bay courtesy of the Namibian Ports Authority (NPA) as a prelude to a planned annual general meeting slotted for October at the town.

SABA is a regional body compromising mainly of public and state broadcasters that are on a mission to improve public visibility of the association – which has been struggling to make an impact amidst financial challenges and operational inadequacy.

SABA President Albertus Aochamub said SADC operates mainly as a voluntarily association and relies heavily on funding from members – a situation that he says does not complement the ideals of SABA as the regional broadcasters are in transformational phases with limited funds, while some are moving from being state broadcasters to public broadcasting entities.

Aochamub believes SABA will serve a pivotal role in the region if the association is to be incorporated as a Southern Africa Development Community organ or agency tasked with media broadcasting issues.

SABA Secretary General, Cecil Nguvauva, concurred, saying lack of funds to implement digital broadcast projects in the region is a problem.

The region has given itself a deadline of December 2013,to move from analogue technology to digitalised television.

In Namibia, the move from analogue to digital television broadcasting is in line with the Roadmap for Digital Broadcasting for SADC and is spearheaded by the National Digitalisation Forum, which was established by government under the auspices of the Namibia Communications Commission (NCC), now renamed Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN).

The forum, which comprises of broadcasters and regulators, entails recommendations to government on the required policy and regulatory framework to introduce digital broadcasting as well as the development of Namibia’s blueprint for the transition.

 The Forum is expected to determine the transition time-frame and schedule for analogue switch-off through various means and interventions.

The migration process was set in motion 10 years ago by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) with an international deadline of June 2015. However, SADC countries have agreed on a December 2013 deadline for the switchover. The two-year space in between is for miscellaneous and troubleshooting.

Digital TV is set to bring better sound and picture, increase consumer choices as more programmes and contents will be accessed, internet access through digital TV, interactive services, video on demand and information services.

The NBC has already gone to the market in search of partners to take charge of the N$360 million project ahead of the deadline.

Namibia holds both the presidency and secretary general position of the association – and both are due for replacement after their three-year term of office expires in October 2012.