Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
World
Home / World / China-Africa

In touch with the world, thanks to a little box

By WANG XIAODONG in Beijing and EDITH MUTETHYA in Nairobi, Kenya | China Daily | Updated: 2021-11-22 06:56
Share
Share - WeChat
Children watch TV with a projector in a school in Bwerenga village, Wakiso District, Central Region, Uganda, on Sept 10. They are able to connect to the world via digital satellite television thanks to China's help. ZHANG GAIPING/XINHUA

Satellite television, introduced as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, has transformed the lives of many Africans

Editor's Note: People-to-people exchanges are deepening the connections between countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. This column celebrates the efforts of those working toward a shared future.

For three years George Waweru could not watch television even though he owned a TV set because he could not afford a decoder, analog transmissions having been switched off in Kenya in February 2015.

So when Waweru, a villager in Kiambu county in the country's south, was provided with a free digital set-top box, a dish and accessories in 2018 by a Chinese company, his life changed.

"I can watch many different programs now, nationally and internationally, and it has enabled me to get informed and entertained like city dwellers," says Waweru, 48, a father of three.

Paying the equivalent of $4.50 a month, Waweru can watch dozens of programs including international news and Chinese programs such as kung fu movies, and his children watch cartoon channels.

Just a few hundred meters away, Michael Ng'ang'a, 47, and his family have also been able to access satellite TV since 2018 after being given equipment including a digital set-top box. It not only keeps him informed of what is happening outside the small county near Nairobi but also keeps his family entertained, he says.

Work can sometimes be hard to find, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, and watching news and soccer on TV has helped relieve the stress, he says.

Like Waweru and Ng'ang'a, many other people living in remote areas in Kenya and other African countries have seen their lives change after gaining access to the outside world via satellite TV, due to the implementation of a project to connect 10,000 African villages in 25 sub-Saharan countries to satellite TV.

The project, part of the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to improve connectivity through increased trade, economic integration, political trust and cultural exchanges, among other things, has put millions of people in touch with the outside world, says William Masy, the public relations director of StarTimes Group, a Chinese digital TV operator that is carrying out the project.

"The project has enabled locals in remote areas in Africa to have long-term and stable access to information from all over the world, narrowing the digital information gap between urban and rural areas in Africa."

By the end of August the project, which China promised during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2015, had been completed in 8,612 villages in 20 countries, including Burundi, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia, he says. More than 6.5 million villagers have been connected with satellite TV.

The Belt and Road Initiative, launched almost 10 years ago, has turned from a grand concept to reality, bearing rich fruit. By now, 140 countries and more than 30 international organizations have been involved in the initiative, which has become a major international platform of collaboration, Xinhua reported.

From the BRI's inception, trade volume between China and countries involved in it exceeded $9.2 trillion by 2020, and direct investment by Chinese companies in these countries reached nearly $140 billion, says China's Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs on Nov 12.

1 2 3 Next   >>|
Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 99久久国语露脸精品国产| 亚洲日韩乱码中文字幕| 久久五月天婷婷| 好男人资源在线观看好| 五月天丁香久久| 狠狠色成人综合首页| 国产午夜福利精品一区二区三区| 99精品国产在这里白浆| 欧美性生恔XXXXXDDDD| 又爽又高潮的BB视频免费看| 欧美亚洲国产激情一区二区| 天天干天天干天天干| 久久不见久久见免费影院www日本 久久不见久久见免费影院www日本 | 丁香婷婷亚洲六月综合色| 杨幂下面好紧好湿好爽| 人成免费在线视频| 老师你的兔子好软水好多的车视频| 国产欧美日韩综合精品一区二区| 99爱在线视频这里只有精品| 我要看18毛片| 久久综合狠狠色综合伊人| 波多野结衣乱码中文字幕| 巨胸狂喷奶水视频www网站免费| 亚洲s色大片在线观看| 理论片手机在线观看免费视频| 国产三级全黄在线观看| gogogo高清在线播放| 日日躁夜夜躁狠狠躁| 亚洲一级毛片免费看| 狠狠噜狠狠狠狠丁香五月| 四虎免费大片aⅴ入口| 国产一区二区精品久久凹凸| 在地铁车上弄到高c了| 久热免费在线视频| 欧美综合婷婷欧美综合五月| 农村老熟妇乱子伦视频| 资源在线www天堂| 国产福利一区二区三区| 99久久免费精品国产72精品九九| 成人午夜免费福利视频| 久久亚洲国产精品五月天婷|