The Minister of Culture, Arts, Communication, and Relations with Parliament, the government spokesperson, Mr. Hussein Ould Medou, along with the Minister of Digital Transformation and Modernization of Administration, Mr. Ahmed Salem Bedeh, presided today, Monday, in Nouakchott, over the launch ceremony for two vital projects that affect the infrastructure of the public media sector in Mauritania and strengthen its position as a tool for national sovereignty and modern communication. The first project involves transferring the broadcasting of national radio stations to the new broadcasting tower, which is an advanced backup tower adopted by the Mauritanian Radio and Television Broadcasting Company to ensure the continuity of service, improve its quality, and guarantee its stability against any malfunctions that might affect the previous tower, which will be dismantled in the coming period.
The second project relates to the inauguration of the digital terrestrial broadcasting station (TNT), as part of a comprehensive project that embodies a qualitative leap in modernizing public broadcasting means, by improving the quality of picture and sound, and expanding the geographical coverage to include various states of the nation.This project represents a strategic milestone in implementing Mauritania’s international commitments, foremost among them the 2006 Geneva Agreement regarding the transition to digital terrestrial broadcasting.These important achievements reflect the commitment of the Mauritanian government to modernize public media, enhance its independence, and establish it as a lever for national identity and service to the citizen.
The Minister of Culture, Arts, Communication, and Relations with Parliament, the government spokesperson, stated in a speech on this occasion that these achievements fall within the core of a comprehensive reform vision being implemented by the government under the direction of His Excellency President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, as part of his flagship program “My Commitments,” which has placed national media at the heart of its priorities as a tool for establishing sovereignty, building humans, and safeguarding national identity through strategic projects that strengthen state institutions, enhance their presence, and solidify their sovereignty, including the modernization of media infrastructure and expanding access to public services.
He explained that the launch of terrestrial digital broadcasting is not a technical development or an update to the infrastructure, but rather a consolidation of the state’s right to own its sovereign broadcasting tools and to free the citizen from dependency on external media. He pointed out that terrestrial digital broadcasting is the only means that guarantees fair and free access to public media without commercial requirements, coverage imbalances, or infringements on national privacy.He added that this station is considered a strategic system, which includes updating networks, improving picture and sound quality, and expanding geographical coverage to include all regions of the country, so that broadcasting reaches the entire national territory, God willing.
He pointed out that this launch embodies a deep institutional transformation within the Mauritanian radio and television broadcasting company, which has transitioned from a phase of structural challenges to an era of digital sovereignty, with new infrastructure, an advanced transmission antenna, and services that align with the demands of the present and future.He confirmed that the Ministry of Culture, Arts, Communication, and Relations with Parliament will continue to support national media institutions, enhance their performance, and strengthen their role as a lever for sovereignty, development, and awareness.
The Director General of the Mauritanian Radio and Television Broadcasting Company, Mr. Mohamed Ould Sid Ahmed Fall Ould El Wodni, known as Bouyati, indicated in a speech earlier that this inauguration represents a new step in the company’s development path and the enhancement of national digital sovereignty, through the launch of the first phase of the digital terrestrial broadcasting service (DTT) starting from Nouakchott. This is part of a comprehensive vision for reform and modernization that arises from values of national commitment and citizen service, embodying the program of His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, “My Commitments,” which places the Mauritanian citizen at the heart of the development project, and its implementation is based on strong governmental will led by the government of the Prime Minister, Mr. Mokhtar Ould Djay.
He added that digital terrestrial broadcasting (TNT) is not just a technological leap, but represents a strategic lever to enhance national sovereignty in the media field, as it allows for control over the national audiovisual space, and adapting its content to align with the cultural and value-specific characteristics of the country, asserting the state’s presence in every home, through a service characterized by independence, quality, and fairness in access to broadcasting.He pointed out that this sovereign project is part of the commitments of the Mauritanian state under the Geneva Agreement (GE06) signed under the umbrella of the International Telecommunication Union, which obliges member states to transition to digital terrestrial broadcasting as a strategic option to ensure media sovereignty and expand access to information.
It was mentioned that the broadcasting company was in a difficult situation a few years ago, suffering from deteriorating infrastructure, weak coverage, and a lack of institutional and technical presence, as it relied on old and worn-out antennas that no longer met the requirements for satellite or terrestrial broadcasting.He pointed out that a satellite broadcasting station was acquired with the latest technologies and substantial broadcasting capabilities that meet national needs in this field, as the transition to a new transmission tower, 120 meters high, represents a qualitative leap and a fundamental base for broadcasting in the capital, Nouakchott.The event was attended by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Communication and Relations with Parliament, the Governor of Western Nouakchott, the President of the Nouakchott Region, the Mayor of the Tevragh-Zena Municipality, and the directors-general of public media institutions.
