AFRICAN UNION OF BROADCASTING FORUM ON “AFRICAN AUDIOVISUAL LANDSCAPE: FIERCE BATTLES OVER DTT » Kigali March 13, 2018 Fifty-One (51) African public radio and television broadcasters and Twelve (12) Private Broadcasters; members of the African Union of Broadcasting Union (AUB); Meeting in Kigali on March 12 and 13, 2018 within the framework of the 2nd AUB Forum on the challenges of the transition from analog to digital technology within the context of the switchover to digital terrestrial television (DTT): Reaffirm their continued interest in the transition to digital terrestrial television, which is essential for the development of radio and television, as well as telecommunications and the Internet; Considering that this process constitutes a major transformation of the African audiovisual technological ecosystem with technical, political, economic, sociocultural and content challenges; Note the impact of the switchover on national institutions such as parliaments, governments, regulatory agencies, content aggregators, and the population at large; Note the important contribution of national and international partners through their expertise and funding; Note the dwindling funding of public service broadcasting on the continent in spite of the fierce competition that it is facing with the advent of the DTT; Note the fast approaching deadline for a permanent switch off of analogue technology; Call upon African countries and the African Union: To take leadership in ensuring that African countries that are still lagging behind especially those that have not started to complete the switch over by the 2020 deadline; To provide the necessary resources for public service broadcasting to continue to effectively play its roleand meet new challenges; To reflect on the long-term impact of this change by taking into account specific national differences and requirements in light of the emerging African Broadcast landscape that will potentially become the second largest audiovisual market in the world; To evaluate national and continental resources in terms of expertise and financing as well as those contributed by international partners. To pay special attention to the peoples of Africa who are the ultimate beneficiaries of this shift; and To integrate the opportunities offered by DTT for the development of the African media ecosystem. Done in Kigali March 13, 2018 #Anglais