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In a first that demonstrated that it is indeed a technological giant, NetOne virtually connected subscribers based in Chiredzi online to the Makhanani Base Station that was launched and commissioned yesterday.
The commissioning of the Makhanani Base Station coincided with that of the Chiredzi Community Information Centre and the four schools’ ICT laboratories for Chiredzi Primary and Secondary School labs, Shingai and Tsovani Primary school labs.
This was in line with the mission of the Ministry of Information Communication Technology (ICT), Postal and Courier Services to transform Zimbabwe through the use of ICTs into a knowledge based society so as to enhance the country’s competitiveness in the world in order to stimulate and sustain robust economic growth.
In his keynote address during the commissioning of the Makhanani Base Station yesterday, ICT Minister Dr. Jenfan Muswere, in a speech read on his behalf by his deputy in the same ministry, Dr. Dingumuzi Phuti who was on the site, said the infrastructure will create an enabling environment for the creation of an e-knowledge based society that transgresses across all levels of society.
It will create access to the digital world for the previously unconnected areas of Chiredzi District. In addition, the Chiredzi Community Information Centre will give residents of Chiredzi a platform to access the digital information highway. The ICT Labs at the local schools will also incubate and create the next generation of ICT giants from Chiredzi District. These ICT solutions dovetail with vision 2030 as enunciated by His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.
“We expect to see Chiredzi achieving the digital economy aspirations of the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) through the ICT innovations we have today commissioned in Chiredzi District. For developing countries like Zimbabwe, ICTs are seen not only as providing new impetus for sustainable growth but are also a prerequisite to participate in the information and knowledge society.
“As the world gravitates towards the fourth industrial revolution, innovation, information, and communication technologies (ICTs), have become indispensable to our daily lives. Zimbabwe cannot achieve its development goals without investing significant financial and human capital resources in innovation and ICTs,” Minister Muswere said.
These investments will steer the drive towards the digital future that will transform Chiredzi into a techno hub, raising the community’s competitiveness and aligning it with vision 2030’s ICT goals.
According to the Minister, a community that does not innovate cannot stay relevant in today’s fast-changing world of big data, the internet of things, artificial intelligence, among other emerging technologies. These rapid changes in technology equally affect policymakers. The Second Republic, through the Ministry of ICT, is committed to creating an enabling environment for innovation to flourish in the country by providing a forward-looking and malleable policy environment.
“Zimbabwe’s future is digital, the Ministry of ICT’s campaign promises to revolutionize government services and bring connectivity to under-served communities, Zimbabwe is Open for Business mantra, combined with world-class engineering talent, makes this country a top investment and manufacturing destination for the telecommunication and ICT sector.
“All these initiatives are empowering countless people across this great nation. I would like to congratulate the Ministry, NetOne and POTRAZ for their efforts to expand mobile broadband connectivity and universal access. We are expectantly looking forward to hosting more such initiatives. Zimbabwe will be at the forefront of the revolution bringing the benefits of mobile broadband to everyone, everywhere.”