According to a Zimbabwean government minister, efforts are underway to bring Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to the rural areas of the country.
This was being done in an effort to improve the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans.
At a meeting in Sandton, Johannesburg on Thursday night, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Information, Communication and Technology, Nelson Chamisa, said that technology plays a key role in the development of any country. He said Zimbabwe’s rural areas, where the majority of the country’s citizens reside, was lagging behind due to a number of factors.
Says Chamisa: “Zimbabwe has a population that is highly educated in the whole of Africa, a huge literate rate which is pegged at 98 percent. The main dilemma faced with our people is that we do not have PCs at schools, government offices and households, hence the need to work with the region, the continent and the international community. We have serious challenges such as internet speed which are very slow. AS the ministry of ICT, we intend to introduce information kiosks in the countryside so that our professionals deployed there find life easier.”
He urged regional and international companies to invest in the revival of the ICT sector, particularly in rural areas where a significant number of professionals such as teachers, health, agricultural experts, scholars and other individuals require connectivity to the internet and telephony.
Chamisa said the government was also exploring ways of working with fellow Zimbabweans in the Diaspora, United Nations Development Progamme (UNDP), and other interested parties from around the globe in this regard.
He said the country intends to lure back its citizens and experts in ICT, in order to start rebuilding the nation. This will be done by offering attractive ackages and incentives to these expatriates.
