First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa's The Angel of Hope Foundation has donated 50 laptops to Rufaro Mission School in Masvingo, in a move that is expected to ensure the school keeps up with technological trends in their learning programmes.
The laptops were handed over during the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe’s conference currently underway in Masvingo.
Read more: Zimbabwe’s First Lady donates laptops to a rural school
Government institutions in Zimbabwe continue to lag behind in using ICTs and the Internet for public services to the citizens.
According to a survey ‘Transparency Assessment’ by media watchdog Misa Zimbabwe last year, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and the Public Service Commission were the most secretive state departments.
Read more: ZW: Citizens want E-Government for effective public administration
Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa has launched the country’s Information Communication Technology Policy to guide Zimbabwe’s economic development through a coordinated use of ICTs, reports The Herald. The ICT policy, together with the Innovation Drive, a policy to provide funding to young innovators, will provide strategic direction and guidance for sustainable national economic development through systematic and coordinated application of ICT’s, said Mnangagwa.
The president said the ICT policy is aimed at transformation, growth, inclusiveness, sustainability, innovation and partnerships in the mainstream economy and puts in place institutional, legal and regulatory frameworks in order to achieve its intended goals. It is envisaged that all sectors of the economy and society at large will harness the power of ICT’s for the development of our nation. He commended players in the ICT’s sector for their advances that have seen the penetration rate rise to 95 percent and a geographical coverage of 75 percent.
Zimbabwe is pushing for additional spectrum to support growth for its broadcast and information communication technology (ICT) industry, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information Communication Technology and Cyber Security, Engineer Sam Kundishora has said.
Additional spectrum provides Zimbabwe and Africa with business opportunities and employment, Engineer Kundishora told The Herald Business on the side-lines of the ongoing four-day second meetings of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) World Radio Conference (WRC) 19 preparatory working groups.
An engineering scholar in Asia Tahir Hameed, in a journal on Information Communication Technology, reiterates that ICTs can be an enabler to development.
“Hargittai and other studies have shown that the rate of Information Technology diffusion is correlated to the general level of socio-economic development. A most recent finding is that ICTs play a vital role in advancing economic growth and reducing poverty. A survey of firms carried out in 56 developing countries finds that firms that use ICTs grow faster, invest more, and are more productive and profitable than those that do not.