Addis Ababa: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has paid a surprise visit to Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC).
The premier made the visit to Fana Broadcasting Corporation (FBC), which is working to become the first and preferred in all sectors of the Ethiopian media industry.
PM Abiy started the surprise visit, one of the many the prime minister has been making, by inspecting the new expansion projects in the FBC headquarters.
The prime minister first visited the recently constructed new studio built to host entertainment programs and interactive platforms that are expected to further strengthen Fana Broadcasting Corporate.
Following his visit, Prime Minister Abiy stated that this was part of his surprise visits practice to various institutions.
According to him, FBC is a media house trying to develop and improve its work. “In that respect, I have witnessed a new beginning and I was happy,’ the premier said.
FBC has been attracting its audience through the popular programs such as “Fana Lamrot”, a singing
-talent contest.
The new studio visited by Prime Minister Abiy would enable the media company to record and transmit quality production.
Misinformation and its proliferation of ways to reach audience has become a major challenge for the media industry as well as countries, he noted.
Realizing the impact of the problems caused by misinformation, Prime Minister Abiy indicated that the media is one of the sectors that his government prioritized and reformed to avoid damages.
‘Our narratives are not unifying and reconciling. The narratives we listen to are polarized, exclusionary and self-magnifying. Because of this, many problems have been caused in our country. There are still problems. So narrative change is necessitated to repair this fracture. Therefore, the ongoing reform to make our media outlets inclusive, which they are in the post-truth era, has been bearing fruit.’
Abiy also noted that the far-reaching reform activities in the media industry have started to consolidate shared narrative in Ethiopia
.
He added that when institutions get stronger, destructive ideas will lose their place.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency
Environmental conservationists in Mombasa have been urged to keep up the tree-planting initiative that was initiated by the government to increase tree cover in the County.
Speaking during a mangrove tree planting exercise in Tudor Creek, Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Mvita Sub-County Ronald Mwiwawi said that deforestation has occasioned serious environmental problems, especially along the coastline.
Mwiwawi added that areas along the creeks on the island have been turned into unconventional living quarters, with some acting as waste disposal points.
‘Deforestation along our coastline has had a tremendous negative effect on the environment. People have turned areas along the creeks into environmentally hazardous areas with some even brewing illicit liquor from there,’ said Mwiwawi.
The DCC who had joined the Taita Taveta Wungara social welfare group for the mangrove afforestation noted that they had ear-marked Tudor Creek as it was one of the most affected on the island with an approximate 30 percent d
estruction of its mangrove cover.
‘We have managed to plant 300 trees today to try and salvage the situation at Tudor Creek. As a county, we envisage planting 7.5 million trees in the next decade, a target once achieved will go a long way in preserving our environment,’ added Mwiwawi.
He also called on key stakeholders in the County to step up and support social welfare groups and facilitate the acquisition of seedlings to accelerate efforts of tree planting across the County.
Launched on November 13, 2023, the Presidential Programme for Accelerated Restoration of Forests and Rangelands aimed at planting 15 billion trees in the next ten years.
On his part, Taita Taveta Wungara Social Welfare Group Deputy Chairperson Festo Msavarie called on the further strengthening of collaborative efforts between social welfare groups and both the National and County governments in environmental conservation.
He said that it was the responsibility of every citizen to conserve the environment for the benefit of the nati
on and the posterity of future generations
‘As a social welfare group, we have heeded the clarion call by the government to plant trees and conserve our environment. We call upon individuals and social welfare groups across the County to pull together and deliver on this noble duty,’ said Msavarie.
Source: Kenya News Agency