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providing services to the rural folk.
Officially opening the ICT Africa 2011 Exhibition Conference in Harare yesterday, VP Mujuru said ICTs now played a pivotal role to rural people.
For a long time, she said, the rural communities had been marginalised as far as ICTs are concerned.
“Through the efforts of the three mobile operators in Zimbabwe, mobile phone services are now available in most of our rural areas as the mobile companies have installed network base stations almost everywhere,” said VP Mujuru.
“This is commendable. Together I believe that we can, and indeed we should bring the latest ICTs technologies to these rural communities, especially internet. This means that they would be able to use the internet for
comparing prices of agricultural produce, for example, before delivering their produce.”
VP Mujuru said it was important to bring ICTs to the people using indigenous languages for them to understand them.
Government, she said, was happy with the positive developments in the ITC sector that had seen a high increase in ICT penetration rates.
ICT penetration rate for mobile services stands at 63, 4 percent, 15 percent for internet and 3 percent for telephone.
VP Mujuru said Government was working on a programme to equip primary and secondary schools with personal computers with appropriate e-learning software.
ICT Minister Mr Nelson Chamisa said according to the latest ICU report of ICT development, Zimbabwe was among the top 10 fastest growing countries in ICT.
Over the past two years Zimbabwe has registered supersonic progress from a mere 12 percent to over 60 percent penetration rate.
“By 2015 we want Zimbabwe to be a hub of ICT, ” said Minister Chamisa.
He said ICT was a good catalyst to the execution of Government policy.
Computer Suppliers Association of Zimbabwe chairman Atwell Mukusha said local people were spearheading the ICTs in the country. He said this year’s exhibition had attracted 71 participants compared to last year’s 60.
Mr Mukusha urged players in the ICT sector to desist from profiteering at the expense of consumers who want to access ICT gadgets.
“At this juncture I would like to urge my fellow ICT players to stop profiteering of hardware gadgets and software and please pass the reprieve to the consumers which will see a reduction of prices of ICT gadgets and software and thus making them affordable,” he said.
Online Reporter