Minister of Information and Media Conelious Mweetwa says President Hakainde Hichilema has been working round the clock to fix and ensure the full operations of the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) across the country.
ZANIS reports that Mr Mweetwa says the government is aware that for many years, ZANIS was neglected, noting that it was under-equipped and under-funded.
Mr Mweetwa indicated that in the past five years, the government has therefore been putting in place measures to capacitate the operations of ZANIS to its maximum potential.
The Minister was responding to a question from Chinsali Member of Parliament, Kalalwe Mukosa who wanted to find out how many ZANIS officers were in Chinsali district and Muchinga Province, and when last the government provided equipment to the named offices among other concerns.
He told members of Parliament that the narrative has now changed for the institution which has received increased funding and support since 2021.
Mr Mweetwa said that ZANIS offices have been receiving vehicles, cameras, Public Address systems, in addition to the department launching its own TV station.
He revealed that by the first quarter of 2026, the government will procure additional equipment for ZANIS across the country, Muchinga and Chinsali included.
“The intention of the government is to procure more equipment including vehicles for ZANIS offices to district level,” the Minister assured the house.
Mr Mweetwa however acknowledged that regardless of the limited resources, the institution has been able to deliver on its mandate.
He noted that with elections around the corner, it is imperative that the department is fully equipped with human resources and equipment to ensure that citizens across the country are well informed.
And the Minister was also happy to inform the House of the signed agreement between the Ministry of Information and Media and Multichoice for the ZANIS station to start operating on the DSTV platform on 24th February 2026.
Mr Mweetwa stated that the Government considers the achievement as an important milestone in the dissemination of information to the people of Zambia.
He noted that through this agreement, the ZANIS viewership will now improve across the globe.
He added that this comes with the urgent need to expand the ZANIS staff establishment at Provincial level in order to capacitate the institution to operate diligently and professionally.
