The Herald
Michael Tome Enterprise Reporter
The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) is intensifying its nationwide e-learning and computerisation programme to bridge the digital divide and improve connectivity in distant elements of the nation.
In step with this drive, final Friday, POTRAZ supplied 14 colleges in Masvingo Province with laptops.
That is in keeping with President Mnangagwa’s imaginative and prescient of “leaving nobody and no place behind.”
The Authorities’s dedication to capacitate colleges with digital infrastructure is supposed to boost the instructing and studying processes whereas bridging the digital divide and accelerating the attainment of a digital economic system that has develop into central to the capabilities of a contemporary economic system.
Beneficiaries comprised Kanongovere Secondary College, Chikwerengwe Secondary College, Rafamoyo Excessive College, Mushayavanhu Major College, Mutero Central Major College, Magombedze Excessive College, Chimombe Mudyanadzo Excessive College, Mutambwi Excessive College, Rumhizha Excessive College, Zimuto Excessive College, Chinyanganya Major College, Mavhiringidze Secondary College and Nerupiri Secondary College.
Talking on the official launch of the programme at Mutendi Excessive College in Masvingo, POTRAZ director-general Dr Reward Machengete indicated that it was excessive time the nation moved together with the calls for of the fourth industrial revolution to embrace and unfold in protection of broadband companies within the nation.
“To make sure no college is left behind, at present we formally commissioned 14 college laptop labs in Masvingo Province; we will actually proceed on the identical trajectory as we speed up the ICT lab per college programme . . . to succeed in all corners of the nation.
“After all, there are some colleges we’re but to equip, however I wish to guarantee you all that we will go away no place and nobody behind on this programme,” stated Dr Machengete.
The initiative might be coupled by making certain dependable cellular connectivity of the unconnected areas within the nation with a number of initiatives at the moment at numerous levels of implementation.
As such, the telecoms regulator final yr funded the relocation of 66 co-located towers by the three cellular operators, Econet, NetOne, and Telecel, and a complete of eight base stations have been both upgraded or put in in Masvingo.
On the nationwide administration degree, the drive is supposed to boost nationwide programs comparable to corporations and deeds registration, tax clearance, import and export licensing, liquor licensing in addition to public finance administration programs.
As stipulated within the Nationwide Growth Technique 1 (NDS) the nation intends to have web entry on the village degree by 2030, via the extension of the fibre optic spine and last-mile connectivity.
Through the tenure of the NDS1, the Authorities additionally targets to extend the web penetration fee from 59, 1 % in 2020 to 75, 42 % by 2025 whereas the cellular penetration fee is projected to succeed in 100% by 2025.
About 50 colleges in Masvingo province have been final yr outfitted with wide-ranging ICT equipment together with the Kapota College for the blind. Info Communication Expertise and Courier Providers Minister Jenfan Muswere stated his ministry would make sure the programme “indiscriminately furnishes” all colleges with fundamental ICT infrastructure.
“We’ve got introduced right here the nationwide e-learning technique, which consists of constructing college laboratories and coaching workers as we transfer to achieve the digital economic system by 2030. We’re a bit behind and will transfer with pace, thus sharing the duty to deploy ICT programs and base stations with cellular community operators,” stated Minister Muswere.
Masvingo Province State Minister, Ezra Chadzamira expressed gratitude over the popularity of his province within the allocation of ICT assets.
‘‘Masvingo province is grateful to his Excellency President Mnangagwa via the Ministry of ICT and Courier Providers for its initiatives that are specializing in decreasing the digital divide throughout the nation and accelerating the attainment of a digital economic system by 2030,’’ stated Minister Chadzamira.
In 2022, a complete of 1 117 colleges have been linked to the Web underneath the faculties’ connectivity programme whereas a further 672 Faculties and 17 establishments of upper and tertiary studying, together with polytechnics and vocational coaching centres, have been supplied with 12 months of bandwidth underneath the ICTs programme.
The yr noticed a complete of 955 well being centres being linked to the web with one yr of bandwidth subscription being paid for every of the centres whereas a complete of 249 police stations have been linked to the Web underneath the e-Authorities programme.
In 2022, POTRAZ licenced seven new Web Service Suppliers and in addition opened the door to Cell Digital Community Operators underneath the converged licensing framework.