IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Zimbabwe is taking bold steps to ensure that no community is left behind in the country’s digital transformation journey, with the Government pledging to extend technology-driven development to every corner of the country.

Speaking during the 2025 Innovation Expo and Conference in Bulawayo on Friday last week, Deputy Minister of Information, Communication Technology (ICT), Postal and Courier Services, Dingumuzi Phuti, said through deliberate policy interventions, public-private partnerships and community-focused programmes, the Government is working tirelessly to ensure that digital transformation covers the whole country.

Government and various stakeholders will on March 21 officially launch the process of implementing the National Information Communication Technology (ICT) policy, which was crafted in 2015, an official has said.

Zimbabwe first launched its National ICT Policy Framework in 2007, but the document was overtaken by developments in the fast-growing sector.

"We are presently reviewing the old ICT policy of 2005 to make it adapt to current technological developments in the sector," he said.

Eng Kundishora said the ministry would soon facilitate some consultative meetings with relevant stakeholders to come up with input for the proposed new national ICT policy frame- work.

The government is in the process of crafting a revised information and communication technology policy framework. Zimbabwe first launched its national ICT Policy Framework in 2007, but the document was overtaken by developments in the fast-growing sector.

Government is in the process of re-configuring, recreating and modernise public administration systems using information communication technology (ICT).

Already 11 applications under the e-government initiative have gone live in a bid to improve service delivery

In a speech read on his behalf at the ongoing African Tax Administration Forum's High Level Conference on ICT here in Victoria Falls, Dr Misheck Sibanda said the applications had gone live for all projects that are riding on the already existing Public Finance Management System hardware infrastructure and Enterprise Resources Planning ERP licences.

According to ICT minister Nelson Chamisa, the new policy will provide for, among other things, the establishment of a national information and communication technology authority, and a national information and communication technology converged regulator and e-government.

The Department of Immigration has implored Parliament to push for the resuscitation of its computerised citizen management system which has been down since December 2019.

The system is used to capture the movement of travellers, screen those with outstanding security issues and those with travel bans.

"Among other achievements, the department has computerised most of its border stations and airports as a way of enhancing efficient service delivery.

Cabinet yesterday approved an integrated National Infrastructure Development Master Plan that will ensure that development of the country's infrastructure and utilities will be done in a coordinated manner in line with Government's policy.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the plan would be achieved primarily through the formulation of an integrated national infrastructural development master plan covering requirements of various sectors of the economy.

As well as modernizing the country's financial system, the government is also laying the foundations for Zimbabwe to become a digital society by 2015.

While this may sound ambitious for a developing country, the information technology and communications landscape has changed exponentially since 2008; the cellphone telephony penetration rate skyrocketed from 13 percent to 72 percent in 2011, while Internet penetration jumped from 1.3 percent in 2008 to 24 percent last year, amounting to some 1.42 million users.

Construction of the proposed Melfort Smart City in Mashonaland East province is set to gather pace after Government secured investors for the project.

It will be strategically located, along the Harare-Mutare Highway.

A smart city is a municipality, where digital technology and green-energy innovations are central to the provision of better services for residents and businesses. In an interview with The Sunday Mail, National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Daniel Garwe said they have made “tremendous progress on smart city development”. The identity of the new investors, he said, will be announced in due course to avoid jeopardising ongoing negotiations.

ITGCSI also assists organisations identify how they use information to meet their strategic business goals, then determine the best ways to protect their information assets throughout the information security lifecycle.

The independent and non-profit trust was founded end of 2011.

Zimbabwe's urban population has increased from 33% of the national total, in 2012 to 38.6%, in April 2022.

The country's urban population is now 5.86 million, out of the 15.9 million total. Amidst the growing urbanization, Harare's roads and its waste management systems were declared a state of disaster, in 2017 and July 2023, respectively.

The team has been holding consultative meetings with stakeholders throughout the country on the ICT policy since June this year.

The draft policy is expected to be presented to Cabinet once all the views gathered have been consolidated into the document.

President Mugabe said Government was implementing the results-based management programme to improve public service delivery.

"One of the major thrusts of that programme is e-government, which focuses on modernising Government systems and processes through the use of information and communication technologies.

Mupingo made the remarks last Friday at a workshop organised for city fathers from Manicaland and Mashonaland East provinces.

“It’s high time that we in the local government sector get appropriately equipped in terms of e-government so that we have strategic approaches to this subject,” he said.

The creation of a smart city with modern infrastructure and amenities in Chegutu is gathering pace as the layout plan is presently being finalised.

Risboro Farm, which measures 1 176 hectares, was handed over to the Chegutu Rural District Council (RDC) and the Chegutu Municipality by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works in 2022 for the expansion of the town, as well as creation of the smart city.

A farm near Norton town in Chegutu area is being subdivided ahead of the planned establishment a “smart city” with a 105MW solar plant, 3 500 residential stands and 29 institutions including primary and secondary schools.

All the houses to be built will have solar panels on the roof to aid electricity generation from the settlement into the national grid during daylight hours and to give the houses stored back-up at night and when power is down.

A smart city deep in a rural area looks unthinkable to some, yet alone if that place is in Chivi district, far away from other well established areas.

Those who think this is difficult to implement base their arguments on the fact that rural areas are already under developed with less services and amenities.

But what they forget is that the coming in of a smart city in such an area means that services and the necessary amenities will follow this splendid development and within a short time the story of the area will change.

Victoria Falls is moving closer to becoming a smart tourism and green destination following plans to construct a renewable energy exhibition park and a 500MW solar plant which will be complemented by a tidal river plant on the Zambezi River.

Southpole Consulting, an international firm that was given Special Economic Zone (SEZ) status by the Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency (Zida), is implementing the project.

Land measuring 300 hectares near the Victoria Falls International Airport has since been identified for the solar farm project.