The Director General of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), Menesia Muinjo, has reaffirmed the broadcaster's commitment to fulfilling its mandate of informing, educating and entertaining the nation, as it has been doing since 1991. 

Muninjo said this during NBC's 35th anniversary celebration in Windhoek today. 

Muinjo said that, as part of efforts to strengthen news coverage across the country, the corporation deployed news crews to all 14 regions as of May this year.

She noted that the NBC continues to fulfil its mandate despite financial and geographical challenges, with the goal of providing timely and accurate information to all Namibians.

"We have grown television and radio for the most part, but now the world has moved to digital, so we are busy also futuring them, so the next level is where do we go as broadcasters as an institution with social media issues? And we look not only at content production; we look at revenue generation. I believe we belong to the shareholder and must get 100% funding, but we are not the only ones; there are competing interests, and when that happens, what must we do? We have to think because there are great thinkers and people are creative."

Muinjo also called on state-owned enterprises to partner with the NBC through three-year memorandums of understanding for advertising and promotional activities on the broadcaster's platforms.

"Today we boost 75% network reach, 78% for radio's network reach, but after what is called the new technology, DTTH, we are supposed to cover 100%. So that we can work together, we can promote your services that the nation needs to see and hear because the platforms are reachable and the footprint is there. So we must really work together. I know all of us don't have enough budget, but you do have a small one for your marketing."

NBC's board chairperson says the board's vision is to have the NBC evolve into a fully integrated public media institution that delivers trusted Namibian content across all its platforms. 

Lazarus Jacob explained that the public broadcaster's relevance will depend on its ability to innovate while remaining true to the principles that define public broadcasting trust, which are credibility, accessibility, inclusivity and service to the people. 

"At a time when misinformation and disinformation are becoming a global challenge, trusted journalism becomes more valuable than ever. NBC must continue to be a place where Namibians can rely on facts, balanced reporting and informed public discourse."

Another ambition for the NBC, Jacobs says, is for it to become one of Africa's respected public broadcasters.

"We also see opportunities ahead to tell Namibia's stories to global audiences, opportunities to nurture the next generation of journalists and content innovators, and opportunities to harness technology to deepen citizen participation and strengthen our democracy."

The board chairperson and the director general also expressed appreciation to former NBC directors general, board members and government ministers who have contributed to shaping the corporation since its establishment.