The Sunday News
Mthabisi Tshuma in Masvingo
TELECOMMUNICATIONS regulator Potraz equipped over 3000 Government institutions with internet connectivity in 2022, Potraz director general Dr Gift Machengete has said.
The move was part of ensuring effective service delivery by Government institutions in light of the growth of the digital sector.
Speaking at the official commissioning of the Mutendi High School laboratory here in Masvingo on Wednesday, Dr Machengete said digital connectivity is key in alleviating impacts of Covid-19.
“In 2022 a total of 1117 schools were connected to the Internet under the Schools Connectivity Programme. An additional 672 Schools and 17 institutions of Higher and Tertiary Learning, including Polytechnics and Vocational Training Centres, were provided with 12 months’ bandwidth under the ICTs for disaster management programme, as a way of alleviating the impact of Covid -19.
“In terms of setting up of School Computer Laboratories, the program for which we are all gathered here, in 2022, the Authority equipped 186 computer laboratories at various schools’ country wide with a minimum of 30 computers each. The total number of computers disbursed to schools during the year is 4280.apart from the e-learning initiatives I have alluded to, in 2022, a total of 955 health centres were connected to the internet with one-year bandwidth subscription being paid for each of the centres. Additionally, a total of 249 Police Stations were connected to the Internet under the E-Government Programme. Only yesterday (Tuesday) we distributed 160 computers to the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare under the same program as we accelerate the program this year,” said Dr Machengete.
“We shall certainly continue on the same trajectory as we accelerate the ICT Lab per school program as we move in haste to reach all corners of the country. Ladies and gentlemen, can I prophesy?… can I prophesy? Well I’m not prophet, handizi Papa weku Church, but I certainly declare 2023 a year of acceleration. I declare 2023 a year of transformation. I declare 2023 a year of progress in the ICT sector. We shall certainly surpass what we did last year,” he said.
Dr Machengete said last year they constructed 32 new Community Information Centres which are at various stages of completion.
“In addition to that we also started Construction of an ICT vocational training centre at Marondera Open Female Prison to ensure inmates are not left behind in the digital economy. In a bid to connect the unconnected, last year Potraz funded the relocation of 66 co-located towers by the three mobile operators, Econet, NetOne and Telecel. The Projects are at various stages of completion,” said Dr Machengete.
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