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Fidelis Munyoro
Chief Court Reporter
Zimbabwe’s engagement and re-engagement drive continues to pay off, with the country being invited to attend the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) Ministerial Alliance for Digital Nations 2023, despite not being a member of the Commonwealth.
The summit, which started on Tuesday and ended yesterday, was hosted by the United Kingdom, with Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere participating. On Tuesday, Dr Muswere made a presentation on the challenges bedevilling universal broadband and took the opportunity to invite investors to take advantage of Zimbabwe’s open for business policy and invest in the ICT sector and help the country succeed on universal broadband links.
Zimbabwe, he said, was friendly to all countries and welcomed private sector support and investments in the ICT sector, given the country’s inclusive policy that no one should be left behind as we journey towards a digitally connected and empowered society by the year 2030.
The invitation of Zimbabwe to the CTO meeting comes at a time the country is seeking re-admission to the Commonwealth with a growing majority in favour of this.
The CTO platform is meant to facilitate collaboration between governments and the ICT industry in addressing ICT issues for economic development. The organisation has overall responsibility for managing the physical and personnel technology infrastructure including technology deployment, network and system management, integration testing, and developing technical operations personnel.
“Zimbabwe needs investments and partnerships in order for universal broadband to succeed,” said Minister Muswere. “The Commonwealth is a key organisation which we need as a country. For us to achieve universal access, we want to be part of the family and we are grateful for the CTO platform.”
Minister Muswere said the CTO platform could play a critical role in allowing Zimbabwe to have access to investments, standards, financial resources, access to low interest credit facilities and access to suppliers and markets. He told the CTO meeting that smartphone penetration rate in the country stands at 56.8 percent, but the cost of the phones is high since they are imported.
“We currently have a ZITCO factory and other companies assembling devices. But we need more investments in devices manufacturing and assembly,” he said.
Minister Muswere said the high cost of bandwidth services was a result of Zimbabwe being a landlocked country and in this regard, the country required investments and partnerships in fibre, base stations and use of satellite technology to ensure competition.
“The Government of Zimbabwe led by President Mnangagwa has an inclusive policy to ensure that everyone is part of the digital economy. ICT training is at all levels in the education sector,” he said.
“The national e-learning strategy is computerising all institutions and community information centres that have been constructed to allow all citizens of Zimbabwe to train for free. What is required is investment and partnerships in order to accelerate digital skills and universal access.”
Minister Muswere said Africa generally was facing power generation and distribution challenges and Zimbabwe is also focusing on increasing power generation but to achieve a functional digital ecosystem the country needs to secure investment in renewable energy especially solar power plants in order to support digital transformation.
Last year, a top official of the Commonwealth indicated that Zimbabwe has made significant strides for readmission following a fact finding mission in the country.
African ICT ministers attending the high-profile meeting include those from Cameroon, Gabon, Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Sierra Leone, among others.
Online Reporter