aurora
Enacy Mapakame
Zimbabweans used a cumulative $8 billion (US$133,3 million) in information and communication technology (ICT) equipment and services in one year as the nation continues to move towards a digitally enabled economy, according to latest report.
A survey done by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) in conjunction with the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) — the 2020 ICT Access by Households and Individuals, shows that between November 1, 2019 and October 31, 2020, household expenditure on ICT equipment was $8,1 billion.
This comes as Zimbabwe joins the world over in the growing digital drive that has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The report, whose findings were gathered through a survey of 10 325 households both rural and urban, was meant to measure the digital divide across the different land use sector in Zimbabwe with the objective of establishing the levels of ICT access by households in Zimbabwe.
It sought to ascertain levels of usage of ICTs by individuals in Zimbabwe, identify impediments to penetration of ICTs in households and usage by individuals as well as compare the current levels of access and usage with those of 2014.
According to the report, 89,6 percent of Zimbabwean households have a mobile phone compared to 88,5 percent in 2014.
Of these, 58,8 percent reported that they had a smartphone.
At least 14 percent households reported they had access to a computer, an increase from 10 percent that was recorded in 2014.
From the survey, the national proportion of households with internet services stood at 50,1 percent from 33,2 percent in 2014. Of the figures, 74 were urban households while 35,6 were rural households.
The report also shows mobile cellular network is the most popular type of internet services accessed by households.
Despite the positive trends, there are still challenges accessing ICT services such as high cost of equipment and gadgets as well as high cost of internet services, as cited by the survey respondents.
POTRAZ director general, Dr Gift Machengete, highlighted the importance of measuring access to and use of ICTs in order for the authorities to come up with interventions necessary for the growth of the sector as the nation leverages on digitalisation for economic growth.
“Without measurement, we would not have a clue as to how we are performing or the direction to take for meaningful interventions.
“This survey report that we are launching today is, therefore, critical in our performance in delivering our core mandate of attaining universal access to ICTs.
“With Government embracing the digital economy as one of the key pillars for economic growth, as the regulator we shall continue to align our surveys to evolving policy needs and priorities.
“Hence, going forward we shall facilitate surveys on emerging priorities such as e- commerce, e-government, e-education, privacy and security issues as well as child online protection and digital skills indicators in a more comprehensive way.
“Such surveys will indeed facilitate informed strategising and interaction in mapping the way forward to achieve the targets of the National Development Strategy (NDS1) and the attainment of our National Vision 2030,” he said.
Digital economy is one of the 14 thematic areas in the NDS1 and there is a set of core indicators that track readiness for the digital economy including digital infrastructure, technologies in use, cases and challenges encountered with access to and use of digital services, some of which information can only be collected at household level.
Bongani Ndlovu