ITC advancement no longer about status, but a daily need

ICT 2010 was full of life and promises, which are still to be fulfilled today.
Some were half-done, but sadly others died a natural if not a technical death.

In terms of the ICT deliverables achieved, the ministry of Information Communication Technology has to be commended for a noble job, as Government led by example.
It is always good and exemplary to walk the talk, though the Government still has a Herculean task if it’s to catch up with the technological advancement on the global arena.
When Government and the corporate world join hands for such a cause, symbiotic synergies can be attained for technological and economic gains.
When stakeholders in ICT converge at such seminars, there is no reason whatsoever for any technological or computer enthusiast not to attend.

I understand that the exhibition is going to be a free for all event, so cover charges will be exempted.
There is also going to be a business conference that will see both local and regional experts participating.
Focus shall be highlighted on bridging the digital divide, enhancing value with ICT, poverty alleviation and community development, green computing, e-learning and my all time favourite, cyber security and ethics among others.

Technology-based and computer companies, organisations, professional colleges, and students have again been accorded an opportunity to show what they are really made of.
This is a portal for companies to help their clients make an informed choice and a chance to get closer to the end user.
How much impact and change have these companies really offered since the last exhibition?

Most exhibitors promised fireworks last year, but how many have lived up to their words.
If we do not have ways to monitor and foster development and implementation then we are sitting on a technological circus. We have all heard of optic fibre talk, seen fibre trenches opening up across our roads and we patiently waited and now they have long closed up but I really wonder what happened to the purportedly high fibre speeds.
Seamless voice and video across platforms over Internet is still a mirage.

Zimbabwe has official marketing and distribution agents of world class suppliers but why are our prices of ICT commodities still so high?
Laptops, printers and accessories are sold at exorbitant prices but a Dubai product across the street is enjoying a good rate of stock turn.
Data backup, cloud computing, blu ray discs, HD video, hi-tech security, wimax, 3G or 4G services are either unheard of, or are struggling to penetrate the market.
This might give an impression that we do not care as consumers but frankly it’s the providers who have failed to provide better services and are comfortable in this mediocrity.

I recently heard of a technology that allows our electrical power lines to be used as internet cables with awesome speeds of 200 megabites per second but how much effort is being put by local researchers to advance this technology.
Some West African countries are using an online technology to transfer money using mobile devices across accounts, buy from supermarkets without ATM card swiping and also buying fruits or airtime from a vendors

on the streets or get change from the public transport.
M-Pesa system is like Western Union on mobile devices. This system has been well built and perfectly marketed that everyone has easily accepted it.
When African sub-region countries meet and discuss about ICT advancement, do they really share the same passion with us as engineers, developers, service providers and students.
Why is Africa lagging behind in the advanced technology sector?

Are we really doing enough to strategically plan and implement ways to see us leap forward?
I have never attended a global or national seminar on policy and strategic moves, to drive technology in Zimbabwe, but based on the snail’s pace improvements, I think some of the bilateral agreements were sheer waste of time and money for so long as we do not have anything happening on the ground.

With this day and age, more bilateral agreements ought to be signed to bring technology to the man on the street.
If we are serious about bridging the technology gap, I think it is the time we walk the talk.

Zimbabwe does not only need revenue to cross the technological bridge. I feel we need more human resources than capi- tal.
The crème de la crème of IT students and gurus can be nurtured with better tertiary orientation and only after that can our local populace appreciate the technological edge with relevance to their day-to-day life.
Technological crave is not a quest for status but a plain daily need.

I recently had a tete-a-tete conversation with an information security officer and we bemoaned much about the laxity of Zimbabwe’s ICT network security.
He fully acknowledged that our information security still leaves a lot to be desired.

In the early days of the introduction of the multi-currency in Zimbabwe, we had a spat of bank robberies, and it was only after these incidents banks started overhauling their entrance and exit systems with digital electronic locks, but we just wondered, do we really need to be victims first before we become pro-active, or maybe we just enjoy learning the hard way?
I was humbled to learn that Ernest and Young go beyond accounts auditing but actually does forensic, IT risk and security penetration tests for more than 50 percent of the listed Zimbabwe stock exchange companies.

Slowly but surely Zimbabweans are awakening to calls for network security. Frankly, I am yet to meet an “ethical” hacker but finally the prestigious Certified Ethical Hacker (C.E.R) course is now being offered locally to enhance network security.

Our ICT companies and service providers have a purpose to serve and offer a world class service instead of joining the bandwagon solely for profiteering.
Events like ICT Africa should not just be ceremonial but an open platform and opportunity for self examination and check points for relevance and impact to the market.