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The Ministry of Youth Empowerment Development and Vocational Training and NetOne Cellular (Private) Limited have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the implementation matrix aimed at empowering Zimbabwean youth through digital technology, connectivity and financial inclusion.
The partnership, signed on Monday, is set to expand internet access to vocational training centres, build digital skills among young people and enable National Youth Service graduates to distribute digital and financial solutions.
The initiative is expected to create sustainable income opportunities for the youth while strengthening community access to essential digital services.
The MoU aligns with Government’s broader thrust of leveraging information and communication technologies to unlock youth potential, enhance employability and stimulate entrepreneurship as Zimbabwe advances towards Vision 2030.
Under the agreement, NetOne will support connectivity infrastructure at vocational training centres across the country, ensuring that young people have access to reliable and affordable internet.
This will facilitate e-learning, digital literacy programmes and access to online markets, enabling youths to participate meaningfully in the digital economy.
In addition, National Youth Service graduates will be capacitated to act as agents for digital and financial inclusion, distributing NetOne’s digital products and financial solutions within their communities.
This model not only expands service reach but also provides the youths with practical business experience and income-generating opportunities.
Giving his remarks at the signing ceremony, NetOne chief executive officer Eng Raphael Mushanawani said the MoU marked a decisive step in translating policy into tangible outcomes through a structured collaboration between Government and the mobile network operator.
“As NetOne, we are alive to the Brick-by-Brick clarion call by the President, therefore today we are here to lay our tiny brick to making Vision 2030 a reality.
“This engagement is not merely ceremonial. It marks a decisive step in translating policy into action through a structured collaboration between the Government of Zimbabwe and NetOne Cellular Private Limited — one that places youth empowerment, digital inclusion, financial innovation and enterprise development at the centre of national transformation.”
He added: “At the heart of this initiative is the empowerment of young people as active participants in the digital economy through the nationwide rollout of connectivity solutions, distribution platforms and agent models.
“We are expanding access to affordable communication services while opening pathways for entrepreneurship, income generation and skills development.”
He noted that the programme is designed to convert connectivity into opportunity and participation into productivity.
“So beyond access, we are deepening financial inclusion by integrating mobile financial services, merchant enablement-related solutions and digital and financial literacy programmes.
“The cardinal objective is to ensure that young people are not only connected but are also financially empowered to transact, trade and build sustainable livelihoods within a secure digital ecosystem.”
The MoU comes at a time when Zimbabwe is intensifying efforts to modernise vocational training institutions and align skills development with the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
By harnessing the reach and technological capacity of NetOne, the partnership is expected to accelerate the transformation of vocational centres into hubs of digital excellence and enterprise.
Online Reporter