The sponsor has presented plans to address these impacts to ensure that the proposed project will, upon implementation of the specific measures agreed, comply with applicable host country laws and regulations and World Bank/IFC requirements. IFC has reviewed environmental and health and safety information supplied by TV Africa, including a preliminary draft of its corporate Environmental and Social Management Policies and Procedures. IFC also reviewed TV Africa''s plan for screening advertisements to ensure compliance with regulations prevailing in the country of transmission, as well as with local and international norms. Although not a requirement of IFC’s environmental and social policies, the company has also provided an outline of its plans for providing and promoting educational programming, public service announcements, HIV/AIDS awareness information and other socially responsible program content. The information about how these potential impacts will be addressed by the sponsor/project is summarized in the paragraphs that follow.
1. Development of corporate Environmental and Social Management Policies and Procedures: TV Africa has reviewed all of the IFC/World Bank Group policies and guidelines relevant to this project. The company has confirmed that it will abide by these in all of its operations. As a consequence, and in order to ensure that this is undertaken, TV Africa is developing a corporate Environmental and Social Management Policies and Procedures (ESMPP) that will be used to guide its operations. The ESMPP reflects relevant IFC environmental and social policies, guidelines and monitoring requirements, as well as TV Africa''s internal programs. IFC has reviewed a draft (January 2001) of the ESMPP and provided comments to TV Africa. TV Africa is in the process of reviewing these comments and incorporating them as appropriate, and will provide IFC with a copy of the revised ESMPP prior to finalization of the investment agreement. TV Africa has indicated that it expects to modify the ESMPP over time as its policies and procedures change or as new issues arise. The company has agreed to provide IFC with copies of the ESMPP as it may be revised over time.
2. Confirmation that local affiliates in which TV Africa over which TV Africa exerts significant control will adhere to the ESMPP: TV Africa does not generally own equity in the affiliates, although it does take minority equity stakes in those that it regards as most strategic. At the present time, TV Africa has larger stakes in only two stations: its Kenyan affiliate, in which it has a 30% equity stake, and its Ugandan affiliate, in which it has a 100% shareholding. On occasion, TV Africa invests in the equipment of its affiliates in order to ensure an adequate level of broadcast quality. In future, TV Africa will provide a copy of the ESMPP to each of its affiliates, and require all affiliates over which it exerts significant control, to implement the ESMPP and report annually on their level of compliance. Although it cannot require other affiliates to implement the ESMPP, it will use its best efforts to encourage them to comply with ESMPP provisions as fully as possible and provide guidance to them, as requested, on how to do so.
3. Implementation of policies and practices for acquiring site(s) for facilities, transmitters, antennae, masts, satellite dishes and other structures, if applicable: At the present time, TV Africa''s technical operations include studio facilities, satellite up- and down-links, and affiliate support. TV Africa''s leases studio facilities in the Johannesburg, South Africa suburbs from which the company transmits its programming via a satellite link to affiliates'' existing transmission towers, which have "receive-only" earth stations. Use of satellite links minimizes the need to utilize microwave or landline systems, which have more significant environmental impacts. Each receiving station converts the satellite signal to regular television broadcast format, and broadcasts the signal locally. TV Africa currently uses analogue technology but plans to upgrade to digital equipment when the market allows. For the up-linking and down-linking of program feeds and leasing satellite space, TV Africa contracts the services of Telkom SA, the South African national telecom utility. TV Africa may also get involved in assisting affiliates in upgrading both their equipment (e.g., transmission towers) as well as their management capacity, and on occasion invests in the infrastructure necessary to disseminate its programming.
4. Acquisition of new sites for any of the various facilities listed above is not an activity that TV Africa will be undertaking in the foreseeable future. Nonetheless, the company has included a section in its ESMPP that specifies procedures for how it would assess the suitability of any such sites that could be needed as its operations evolve over time. The company has agreed to implement relevant IFC policies and guidelines regarding the identification and environmental and social review of new sites, should this activity be undertaken in future. In addition, TV Africa will report annually to IFC regarding any and all new sites acquired for facilities, transmitters, antennae, masts, satellite dishes and any other structures, including details on how the environmental and social review of these new sites was carried out.
5. Employee health and safety and training programs, including HIV/AIDS awareness initiative for staff: TV Africa has an in-house health and safety program for all its employees, including general health and safety training and comprehensive medical insurance coverage. At IFC''s request, TV Africa has agreed to provide a copy of its employee health and safety program to each of its affiliates, and to use its best efforts to encourage them to review their own programs in this context. TV Africa will require all affiliates over which it exerts significant control, to ensure that their employee health and safety programs conform in scope and intent with the TV Africa program. During 2001, TV Africa intends to develop an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign for its own staff, based on the content of the World Bank/UNAIDS TV campaign it broadcast last year. It will make this information available to all of its affiliates, for training of and distribution to affiliate staff.
6. Use of hazardous materials including liquid fuels, PCBs, halons and CFCs (e.g., in fire suppression or cooling systems): TV Africa operates out of leased studio and office space. The studios and offices are equipped with modern fire suppression and cooling systems that do not utilize either halons or CFCs. No liquid fuels are stored at either location. None of the electronic equipment contains PCBs.
7. Fire prevention and emergency response procedures at studios and transmission sites: As above, TV Africa operates out of leased office and studio space. In South Africa fire safety standards (SABS 400), are strictly enforced with all commercial and industrial structures needing to comply. These standards are stringently enforced via regular inspections by municipal fire authorities. TV Africa will ensure that all affiliates over which it exerts significant control demonstrate compliance, on an annual basis, with local regulations in respect of fire safety standards.
8. Other: As a result of the large number of countries in which TV Africa broadcasts, as well as the wide range of cultural norms within each of these countries, the company has adopted a cautious stance with regard to the types of advertising that it will accept. TV Africa will comply with any host country regulations, as well as all accepted local and international norms, in determining which products can be advertised on any of its feeds. A small fraction of the advertisements broadcast by TV Africa are for alcoholic beverages and tobacco products, as is the case with many broadcasters internationally. Consistent with its policy of accepting local and regional norms, TV Africa does not advertise tobacco products or alcoholic beverages in countries where doing so would conflict with prevailing regulations or cultural practices. Where not already required by local regulations, TV Africa has agreed to include health warnings with its tobacco advertisements, consistent with widely accepted international practice.
9. TV Africa acquires and produces educational programming, aimed at both adults and children. The company is in the process of producing a high school equivalency course. The company has launched an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign under the auspices of the World Bank and UNAIDS. TV Africa has indicated that it will consider strengthening its educational content and expand its HIV/AIDS public awareness campaign as a result of IFC’s direct investment.
10. Public disclosure: The sponsors cleared the ERS for public disclosure in a letter dated January 30, 2001. Local disclosure of the ERS is to be done through advertisements in two South African general circulation daily newspapers - The Star on February 2, 2001 and Business Day on February 5, 2001.
