HH Welcomes Launch of ZANIS TV

President Hakainde Hichilema has welcomed the launch of a new television channel operated by the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS), saying he hopes it will improve access to information for citizens across the country, including in remote rural areas.

“May I throw the challenge to ZANIS to ensure you keep this channel going by paying attention to the details of the production process and being inclusive in your news delivery,” President Hichilema stated in a speech read by Information Minister Cornelius Mweetwa.

The official launch event took place at the Mass Media Complex in Lusaka on Tuesday. In his speech the President emphasised his government’s commitment to press freedoms and improving access to information as the bedrock of Zambia’s democracy.

“During my inauguration, I made it clear that the mistreatment of journalists would be a thing of the past. We are committed to respecting press freedom because journalists are the backbone of democracy,” he said.

Since Hichilema’s UPND formed a government in 2021, not one major media house has closed down. Under the previous PF administration, several major news outlets collapsed or were censored, including the popular Post newspaper, which was shut down in 2016.

The new ZANIS TV channel will serve as a powerful platform for the agency’s extensive network of journalists, with the capacity to broadcast from all 116 districts across the country. ZANIS Derector Loyce Saili said the state-of-the-art facility meant “we are now able to go live from any part of the country”.

Alongside its own dedicated news channel, ZANIS will continue to distribute text and video news reports to other national media outlets, including Lusaka Times, ZNBC, Times of Zambia and the Zambia Daily Mail.