Online Reporter
Takunda Gambiza
Online Reporter
The Government is intensifying efforts to expand digital literacy across the country as part of a broader strategy to equip citizens with skills required in an increasingly technology-driven economy, ICT, Postal and Courier Services Minister Tatenda Mavetera said in Harare today.
Speaking during a digital literacy dialogue organised by the Computer Society of Zimbabwe in partnership with the ICDL Foundation, Minister Mavetera said the country’s economic transformation will depend on strengthening the digital skills and innovation capacity of its people.
Minister Mavetera said the Government is working towards achieving 100 percent digital literacy by 2030, in line with national development priorities aimed at building a technologically capable population.
“Sustainable economic growth will depend not only on physical infrastructure or natural resources, but on the skills, innovation capacity and digital competencies of our people,” she said.
She added that to support this goal, her ministry has introduced several programmes designed to equip Zimbabweans with both basic and advanced digital skills.
“These include the Digital Skills Ambassadors Programme, which provides training in areas such as basic ICT skills, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies,” she said.
Minister Mavetera said the programme has already reached thousands of people across the country.
“Just last week we trained more than 2 300 people in one district, which shows the demand for digital skills within our communities,” she said.
She added that the Government has established more than 220 digital centres nationwide, which are being upgraded to serve as digital hubs providing computers, internet connectivity, and access to online services.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education chief executive officer Professor Kuzvinetsa Dzvimbo said ICTs are increasingly becoming central to Zimbabwe’s education system.
“ICTs are becoming very common in our schools, particularly in rural schools, and we are grateful for the initiatives that are making these technologies more accessible across the country,” he said.
Prof Dzvimbo said universities and tertiary institutions were integrating ICT skills into their curricula to ensure students graduate with relevant technological competencies needed in modern workplaces.
He also emphasised the growing importance of emerging technologies in education and training.
ICDL Foundation CEO Mr Damien O’Sullivan said governments around the world face similar challenges in equipping their citizens with the digital skills required in a technology-driven economy.
“Technology is now embedded in almost every job role, and the reality is that most jobs today require some level of digital skills,” said Mr O’Sullivan.
Many people have what we call digital lifestyle skills because they can use smartphones and social media, but those skills are very different from the digital workplace skills needed to function effectively at work.”
Highlighting the importance of investing in people, he said a digital economy is powered by people, and people are powered by digital skills.
Mr O’Sullivan stressed that collaboration between governments, education institutions, and industry is essential to ensure citizens acquire the digital competencies needed to participate fully in the global digital economy.
