THE Government of India recently promised support for Zimbabwe’s fledging Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.
Zimbabwe last week sent a high-powered delegation to India led by Information, Technology and Courier Services deputy minister Jenfan Muswere who is accompanied by Postal and Telecommunications Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) Director-General Gift Machengete and several other telecommunications service providers.
The delegation attended the India Mobile Congress and has now embarked on a study tour of various facilities in order that delegates may acquaint themselves with advanced computing and innovation parks, among others.
“The delegation is courting investors in ICT in various areas of bridging the digital gap like base-stations to enable connectivity to reach out to all the parts of the country at a high speed,” Muswere said.
“According to the ministry of ICT, the country needs about 350 base stations to meet the needs of the country and it is seeking grants and loans and partnerships so that they improve the sector,” he added.
“Zimbabwe’s ICT infrastructure , e-government and smart initiatives are behind as compared to other countries. But if they have such partnership, they will improve the sector,” Muswere said.
Potraz Director-General also spoke on the need for regulatory collaborations and advised the meeting that the Zimbabwe government was putting in place measures to bridge the digital gap using the universal services fund.
“Currently, Potraz has put 146 community information centers in some rural villages so that people will not come to Harare seeking information, but rely on those information centres around their villages,” Machengete said.
Telecel chief executive Angeline Vere also spoke on the challenges that telecommunications operators are faced with in Zimbabwe.
“In Zimbabwe, we experience a very serious challenge of power. We need to embrace solar energy technology so that we do not experience problems during our operations,” Vere said.
