Story by Oleen Ndori, Foreign Desk Editor
The 2025 edition of the Southern Africa Broadcasters Association (SABA) convention is poised to focus on advancing the growth and innovation of the broadcasting industry across the region and beyond.
The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) is set to welcome regional, continental, and international broadcasters for discussions on the future of the sector in an era defined by rapid technological transformation.
Briefing the media on the state of preparedness, ZBC CEO, Mr Sugar Chagonda said all is in place and the convention is ready to start.
“We have delegates from South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia, Seychelles, the UK, and Russia. These are some of the countries who are already on the ground. So yes, we are very happy, and this is a grand opportunity for us as Zimbabwe because this is the first time that we are hosting SABA. So we are looking forward to a successful event. We are still expecting more delegates later in the day and of course tomorrow. But as we speak, even in terms of ministerial officials, they are already on the ground, and we are very much excited. Everyone is just happy and looking forward to this grand event,” he said.
Participants to the convention in the satellite and audio production fields are looking forward to the convention.
“It also helps us to grow the ecosystem of the satellite industry and the broadcasting industry. It will help us to grow the media landscape of Africa because the African landscape is vibrant and expanding. So when we have such kind of events, it helps us to get the understanding of how the innovation is going, as well as it helps to be part of the ecosystem,” noted SES Sales Manager for Eastern Africa, Ms Menen Agegnehu.
Africa Lawo Sales Manager, Mr Brahim Jelassi weighed in, “I am representing LAWO, which is a German manufacturer. The importance of our presence is to show our customer base about our solutions, going from radio to audio solution to video solution and how to combine them under one ecosystem. An ecosystem that can talk to other manufacturers to make the broadcasters’ life easier and really to produce more and have, let’s say, a dynamic media infrastructure. And looking at the developments within this sector, do you think the continent is doing enough to harness the technological growth within the broadcasting space? I think there could be more to be done. Our vision is to, moving forward, is to utilise what the IT sector offers to us and to really put the emphasis on this outgrowing market to have broadcast application. And that’s why I will be presenting on Wednesday and to show our customers that we can utilise the IT industry to do more and have future-proof solutions.”
SADC Executive Secretary, His Excellency Elias Magosi met the SABA Secretariat in Gaborone, Botswana last week and endorsed the work being done by the association.
“A lot of things that we do, but many times they are not out there in the public. The common citizens are not aware of the things that we do. And that’s why broadcasting becomes very crucial, both in terms of radio, but also television. So that becomes critical as well. And SADC always appreciates the support that we get from the likes of Sabah and all others that are assisting us,” he said.
Since its establishment in 1993, SABA has played a critical role in shaping the media landscape of Southern Africa by promoting ethical journalism, cross-border collaboration among media professionals, and amplifying regional narratives.
During the convention, the delegates will deliberate on the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the broadcasting space, and the real take away will be harnessing collaborations and experiences for the sector’s growth within SADC and beyond.
