Chronicle Editor
Mashudu Netsianda
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has said Zimbabwe continues taking deliberate bold steps towards boosting food security and food sovereignty riding on the rapid innovations in science, communication and digital technologies.
He said it is also critical to protect African countries from cyber-crime, terrorism and money laundering through the use of ICT.
President Mnangagwa made the remarks while addressing delegates during the official opening of the 6th edition of Transform Africa Summit in Victoria Falls yesterday.
The summit, which is being held in Zimbabwe for the first time, is running under the theme: “Connect, Innovate,Transform.”
“Zimbabwe continues taking deliberate steps towards food security and food sovereignty riding on the rapid innovations in science, communication and digital technologies. These are encapsulated under our country’s SMART Zimbabwe 2030 Master Plan, with emphasis on developing home grown solutions,” said President Mnangagwa.
Under the Smart Africa Alliance and Smart Agriculture Flagship programme, Zimbabwe is spearheading the development of the AgriTech Blueprint for Africa.
“This has seen my Government adopting an Agritech Strategy and implementing an Integrated Agriculture Information Management System towards increasing agriculture productivity and value chain development as well as efficient land use and environmental management practices,” said President Mnangagwa.
He said Government is determined to boost agriculture and rural development through improved access to valuable ICT based information that enable agriculture stakeholders to make best decisions.
“Enabling policies that support and strengthen the AgriTech ecosystem are being continually improved. These relate to ICT infrastructure, food production and processing, irrigation and water management, disaster management, telecommunication, transportation and financing, among others,” said President Mnangagwa.
He said the roll out of Education 5.0 philosophy saw the broadened learning and deployment of science, technology and innovation.
“This has led to numerous startups, which are creating new products and services for use by our fast growing economy and society in general. Notable among these is the launch of our maiden satellite code named ‘ZIMSAT-1’, in November 2022, by the Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency,” said President Mnangagwa.
He said the satellite will enable a wide range of solutions in agriculture, energy, meteorology, civil protection, communication and technological outreach.
“In addition, the innovation hubs, established within tertiary institutions and universities have led to other solutions presently used by local authorities as well as the energy and financial services sectors,” said President Mnangagwa.
To enhance efficiency and effectiveness in public service delivery, President Mnangagwa said his Government continues to adopt smart solutions to bring public services closer to the citizenry.
“These include the e-passport, e-Visa and Integrated Case Management Systems. Community Information Centres have improved access to digital platforms for our people at the grassroots level,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said growth in innovation and the envisaged transformation of Africa through expanded industrial enterprises will undoubtedly translate to increased trade under the single digital market and AfCTA.
“As such, capacity building around e-Commerce as well as development of the appropriate infrastructure and relevant policy frameworks for the envisaged electronic-payments system for Africa, remains critical,” he said.
“The need to protect our countries from cyber-crime, terrorism and money laundering through the use of ICT, remains essential. The transition towards a digital single market as well as the promotion of the use of technology and innovation across the African continent further requires strong partnerships and private sector participation.”
The President said as the continent scales up the use of ICT in all facets of its respective economies, it is equally necessary to deliberately popularise and boost scientific literacy across societies, both in rural and urban areas.
“Stakeholders in both the public and private sectors are thus urged to put in place requisite platforms to disseminate scientific knowledge and showcase technological possibilities with regard lifting our people out of poverty and into prosperity,” he said.
“Our young boys and girls should also be encouraged to use ICTs from elementary, right up to higher education level.”
In view of the ravishing impact of climate change to the peoples of Africa, President Mnangagwa said it is integral for all stakeholders to give due attention to innovations related to clean-energy and green technologies.
“Ultimately, renewable energy remains a sustainable source of power for increased ICT penetration and use. Let us challenge our youthful population to push the ICT boundaries to leap-forward our great continent,” he said.
“The prosperity of our continent and fate of our younger generation demands that we continue taking bold and decisive actions towards the success of the Smart Africa Initiative.”
President Mnangagwa said the establishment of the requisite ICT ecosystem, as well as infrastructure and regulatory frameworks is also essential to propel the digital agenda. He said increasing broadband and internet access at affordable cost along with the elimination of roaming barriers require due attention.
Online Reporter