Digital infrastructure key to knowledge-based society: Minister

Walter Nyamukondiwa in SELOUS

ZIMBABWE is poised to achieve an upper-middle-income society ahead of 2030 through increased access and utilisation of information, science-based planning and speedy deployment of infrastructure towards a knowledge-based society, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere has said.

Under the astute leadership of President Mnangagwa, Dr Muswere stated, the Second Republic has achieved several milestones through legislative and policy interventions to attain the Vision 2030 blueprint benchmarks ahead of schedule.

Speaking at the International Day for Universal Access to Information and the launch of the Selous Digital Centre yesterday, Dr Muswere said the country had put in place key pillars to anchor the drive towards an upper-middle-income society.

“Our celebration in terms of universal access to information reflects what the Second Republic, under the leadership of President ED Mnangagwa, has managed to achieve,” he said.

“It demonstrates the significant strides that the Government of Zimbabwe has made as we journey towards an upper-middle-income society by the year 2030.”

To speed up the creation of a knowledge-based society, Dr Muswere mentioned that access to information, utilisation, and deployment of anchor infrastructure had reached a point of convergence.

Through the ubiquity of information in the 16 official languages, Zimbabwe is fulfilling obligations under Sections 61 and 62 of the Constitution.

“But for us to achieve Vision 2030 and have an upper-middle-income society— which, by the way, we will accomplish before the year 2030— we need to utilise information to create a knowledge-based society,” Dr Muswere said.

“The utilisation and access to information through the deployment of various infrastructure, which has reached a point of convergence, has allowed a whole-of-Government approach.”

The Government, he noted, had managed to merge the Digital Infrastructure Masterplans—the ICT Digital Masterplan and the Broadcasting Digital Masterplan.

This is expected to reduce costs and support universal access to information while streamlining operations for various players in the sector.

With this, the Government expects an increase in the generation of new content in all 16 official languages.

To support the process, the Government has relaunched and capacitated ZimDigital Phase 2, which will pave the way for a smooth and quick transition from analogue to digital within the next two years.

“The convergence of the digital masterplans has ensured that we move with speed to enhance information ubiquity across the country,” said Dr Muswere.

This year’s IDUAI commemorations are running under the theme, “Ensuring Access to Environmental Information in the Digital Age,” and the Government has leveraged science to collect data, process it, and formulate decisions.

“As a Government, we have ensured that environmental information is collected and processed, with decisions made based on science.

“Decisions are based on the data that has been collected to ensure predictive analytics and promote practical and sustainable decision-making,” Dr Muswere stated.

This, he added, has been the hallmark of the Second Republic’s journey to achieving food security through environmental scanning, processing, and scientific decision-making.

These strides have not escaped the attention of multilateral institutions, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), which has commended Zimbabwe for providing constitutional, statutory, and political guarantees for increased access to information.

Information, Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister Tatenda Mavetera stated that President Mnangagwa’s Government is rolling out infrastructure and gadgets to ensure that everyone has access to information.

“Today, we are launching the Selous Digital Centre, which will give our children the chance to learn in this digital age through the use of technology,” she said.

“The programme includes training in digital skills with the support of the Zimbabwe Academic and Research Network (Zarnet). Those trained will receive certificates.”

Minister Mavetera expressed concern about the relatively high cost of ICT services and mentioned that measures are being put in place to ensure a significant reduction in entry-level broadband.

Generally, she noted, broadband costs are higher in the Southern African region, standing at 3.5 percent of monthly gross national income per capita, against the global target of 2 percent by 2030.

High costs have become a barrier to universal access to information.

Minister Mavetera stated that President Mnangagwa’s Government is reviewing operational taxes in various sectors of the economy and that her Ministry has presented a position paper on areas requiring adjustments.

UNESCO regional advisor for communication and information, Mr Al Amin Yusuph, commended Zimbabwe for providing statutory guarantees for access to information.

“For information to play such an instrumental role, all people must have equal access to it. To make this possible, countries must adapt constitutional, statutory, and political guarantees,” said Mr Yusuph.

“Currently, just over two-thirds of United Nations member states have done so, and for this, we congratulate Zimbabwe for having statutory guarantees for access to information.”