July 27, 2015 By Victoria Saffa
A new satellite television provider called iCan Tv has been launched in Sierra Leone thus promoting competition in the satellite TV industry in the country.
The pre-launching and unveiling was done on Friday 26th July at the company’s headquarters on 143 Wilkinson Road in Freetown.
In his keynote address, Minister of Information and Communications, Alhaji Alpha Kanu, described the launching as an achievement for both the country and government of Sierra Leone. He said private sector development is key on the government agenda, noting that the sector drives the economy to grow.
Mr. Kanu said “with this development more people can be employed, especially young people who continue to struggle in search of jobs”, adding that supporting the private sector in Sierra Leone will help close the gap between the rich and the poor, while calling for more investment in this direction.
“We now have the fibre optic project that is geared towards improving internet connectivity,” the minister noted, adding that businesses of this nature depend so much on the internet to thrive. “The country is now on the verge of transforming from analog to digital migration. The fibre runs from France through the Atlantic Ocean to Lumley Beach. We are proud of you and we appreciate you for being part of the country’s development process.”
Chief Executive Officer of the company, Emerson Saffa, said iCan Tv is one hundred percent Sierra Leonean owned and produced in the country. He said his aim is “to take Sierra Leone to the next level”, adding that they produce high quality decoders.
Registration, he said, goes for Le750,000 and monthly subscription for Le180,000.
“We are launching our own local channels in two months’ time that will be showing news all over the world,” said Mr. Saffa. “Our satellite is coming from France and our channels are all legal with quality pictures. We are also planning for SLBC and Star TV to be part of our packages and this will allow people from all over the world to view Sierra Leonean programmes on different channels.”
Minister of Youth Affairs, Alimamy Kamara, said investments of this nature provide jobs for young people. He called on the CEO of iCan Tv to give opportunity to young people who are looking for jobs, as Sierra Leone cannot progress if young people remain unemployed and have nothing to do.
He said the nation is heading towards development and that people coming with such investment must be supported.
“TV must be used for the right purpose because news agencies sometimes create problems for the society,” the Youth Affairs minister noted.