Chronicle Editor
Mthabisi Tshuma in Harare
GOVERNMENT has pledged to continue facilitating deployment of modern technology infrastructure across the country as part of its transformation agenda and improving social services delivery.
Information Communication Technology (ICT), Postal and Courier Services Minister, Dr Tatenda Mavetera, said this at the official launch of State-owned NetOne’s 5G services and commissioning of Potraz tower relocation base stations in Harare on Wednesday.
She said the progress being registered was a response to calls by President Mnangagwa to improve the livelihoods of every Zimbabwean. Vice-President Kembo Mohadi presided over the event on behalf of President Mnangagwa.
“Early this year at the launch of our three National ICT Policies, you (President Mnangagwa) directed us to use infrastructure to improve social services among many other aspects,” said Dr Mavetera.
“Pursuant to this directive and under your visionary leadership, Your Excellency, we have managed to achieve quite a number of things.
“There is the 5G network expansion where today we celebrate this 5G base station and 19 other NetOne 5G base stations that will go live across the country,” she added.
“This rapid deployment of cutting-edge technology across key areas of our country is a testament to our commitment to digital inclusivity and innovation.
“We also have Green Energy Integration where as a ministry we have made substantial progress in sustainable technology deployment, with telecommunications operators having deployed solar-power at their various base stations.”
Dr Mavetera said such initiatives not only ensure seamless services to customers but also guarantee environmental sustainability. “There is the Smart City Initiatives where our ministry has been at the forefront of laying the groundwork for smart cities across Zimbabwe,” she said.
“The 5G infrastructure we are launching today will enable ICT solutions, paving the way for improved services and quality of life for our citizens.
“There are also Sector-Specific Innovations where we have seen remarkable advancements in telemedicine, smart agriculture, and smart mining. These innovations are not just buzzwords. They represent real improvements in healthcare accessibility, agricultural productivity, and mining efficiency,” said Minister Mavetera.
She said her ministry was also focused on setting up ICT laboratories in schools as a way of ensuring that the future generation taps into the digital space at a tender age.
“We have Smart Education, which is part of our efforts to bridge the digital divide and has resulted in the provision of ICT equipment to marginalised schools, ensuring that no child is left behind in our digital revolution,” said Dr Mavetera.
“We also practice Infrastructure Sharing and this is in order to reduce operational expenditure, capital expenditure and the resultant high cost for the consumer coupled with slow deployment of technology.
“We initiated the infrastructure sharing policy, which mandates operators to share infrastructure. For instance, we have one base station here at Boka, which is accommodating six operators; that is NetOne, Econet, Telecel, TelOne, Africom and Dandemutande.
“This means that there is one base station where in the past you would have had six base stations. The other base station is only there because one base station can no longer accommodate the operators who may come later,” said Minister Mavetera.
ICT Deputy Minister, Cde Dingumuzi Phuti, said data is the new currency and connectivity is the new oil.
“The telecommunications sector is, thus, a key enabler of Vision 2030. We are elated that President Mnangagwa was the first to recognise this fact when he identified a digital economy as one of the key pillars of Vision 2030,” he said.
“It’s the visionary leadership of President ED Mnangagwa that gave birth to alliances with the People’s Republic of China in ICT development where in today Huawei has assisted NetOne to launch 5G connectivity in Zimbabwe.
“As a ministry, we thus unreservedly pledge to roll up our sleeves and do the work that needs to be done to ensure that we achieve Vision 2030. “We are the people that the President refers to when he says ‘nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninilo’,” said Deputy Minister Phuti. — @mthabisi_mthire
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