StarTimes hosts China, Africa summit
The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held a summit at the StarTimes headquarters in Beijing attended by the presidents of 18 African countries.
The event was attended by almost 3,200 delegates from Africa, China and international bodies and concluded that the long-standing relationship between China and Africa is intact and will continue.
The success of the Forum has led to an initiative to further strengthen the relationship between the continent and China, despite challenges.
StarTimes, a Chinese multinational media company as well as a major digital TV operator in Africa, has worked on projects that include helping about 10,000 African villages gain access to satellite TV and also the campaign to tackle HIV/AIDS.
President of the Central African Republic Faustin-Archange Touadera said 103 villages had been helped by the company in his country. “StarTimes can bring news and information to these 103 villages where it has established its information network, and allows these villagers access to the whole world. This is a remarkable thing for these inhabitants,” he said.
This project was a collaboration between China and Africa with the aim of making sure families had access to high-quality TV programmes and images.
The 18 African heads of state came to show support for StarTimes and its endeavours in Africa.
The visitors included Ghana’s First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo. To honour her visit, StarTimes donated 24 football kits to support her foundation.
Lesotho’s prime minister Thomas Thabane and the Chinese ambassador to Lesotho Sun Xianghua were also present.
Ten villages in Lesotho were offered projector TV sets and solar powered generation systems by StarTimes president Pang Xinxing.
Also at the summit were Sierra Leone’s president Julius Maada Bio and his wife, the First Lady Fatima Maada Bio, and the Chinese ambassador to Sierra Leone, Wu Peng.
A memorandum of understanding was signed by the MD of StarTimes, Gu Xun, and Sierra Leone’s minister of information and communications, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, on cooperation.
StarTimes also donated TV sets to villages in Sierra Leone.
President Bio said: “I look forward to having StarTimes in Sierra Leone.”
A meeting was held in Beijing with the aim of creating awareness among young people about HIV/AIDS using online mobile platforms. It was attended by the First Lady of the Republic of Malawi Gertrude Mutharika, UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibé and StarTimes Group vice president Guo Ziqi.
tagged in: China, The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation