Zimbabwe plans to introduce a biometric voting system as part of a raft of reforms ahead of general elections set for 2018, state media reported Sunday.According to the Sunday Mail, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) plans to engage international experts to assist in the implementation of the biometric voting system “among other significant changes to the polling framework.”
“The biometric system the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission plans to introduce will scan for either fingerprints or the iris and is already in use in African countries like Kenya and Ghana,” the paper said, quoting ZEC spokesperson Justin Manyau.
Read more: Zimbabwe mulls biometric voting system for 2018 poll
In mid-2015 the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, ZIMRA, launched its e-services platform to enable online transactions for a number of tax obligations.
It has been reported that in a follow-up development, ZIMRA issued a notice informing affected parties that starting this year it will no longer issue manual Tax Clearance Certificates, called ITF 263s, as these will strictly be processed online.
The government has announced plans to introduce one-stop border posts at all ports of entry, to improve the smooth flow of trade and ease the way of doing business in Zimbabwe.
Addressing a Press conference in Harare, chief secretary to the President and Cabinet Misheck Sibanda said by end of 2016 all border posts will be one-stop while by April Zimra and government departments will be electronically connected.
Government is set to introduce tele-medicine in all rural health facilities beginning in January 2016, following the signing of a $300 000 agreement by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) last month.
Tele-medicine is the use of telecommunication and information technologies to provide clinical health care using two-way communication between the patient and a healthcare provider.
As the year 2015 comes to an end most people will remember it for the activity around ICT legislation and government’s involvement in the shaping of issues around technology.
Infrastructure sharing was catalysed by a 90-day ultimatum, discussions around the Cyber Crime Bill which was initially thought to be years away was brought forward and the government claimed a bigger stake in local telecoms. We even had final discussions and recommendations around the national ICT Policy.