The Nigerian Television Authority says it will require $15m to complete its current digitization program across the nation.

It said that this is in addition to about N6bn to effect total restructuring of its operations across the country.

The director-general of the NTA, Sola Omole, who made the disclosure on Friday in Beijing, said the agency is already seeking out ways to ensure the success of the project.

The NTA helmsman spoke at a seminar on African digitization organized by StarTimes, a telecommunications company in China with operational tentacle in Nigeria.

According to reports monitored on NAN, Omole said that only four African countries have met the requirement for digitization and were ready for the switchover.

He lamented that over 97 per cent of African countries, including Nigeria, may not meet the June 17 deadline for digitization.

“We made steady progress through the assistance of our partners, StarTimes, but attention shifted to politics and there was lack of funds during the period which affected the programme. It will be difficult to meet the June 17 switchover deadline because the structure on ground does not support it, though efforts have been made, there exists several gaps and challenges,” he explained.

He added that the fact that the project is capital intensive has made the whole process a very slow one.

“It is a capital intensive project replacing a whole package from analogue to digital and the training need. It is a complex situation. Our organization needs over N6bn for restructuring because what we do affects so many agencies that depend on us directly or indirectly as an institution, “he said.

He, however, expressed hope that the process of digitization would eventually be completed in no distant future.