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Information, Communication, and Telecommunications (ICTs) are positively impacting industries, offering the opportunity to develop new business models, and paving the way for future generations, Dr. Jenfan Muswere, the Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services said during the 25-anniversary celebrations of Dandemutande in Harare.
He said ICTs unquestionably possess a great deal of ability to change economies and significantly contribute to wealth and improved quality of life. Dandemutande has contributed to improving people’s life by expanding options and fostering social, charitable, and cultural endeavors.
Zimbabwe, under the leadership of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has identified ICTs as a critical enabler to attaining an Upper Middle-class economy by 2030. This will usher in a digital economy and improve service delivery to the citizenry through e-government, e-learning, smart agriculture, smart cities, and smart manufacturing, leaving no one and no place behind. One of our National Development Strategy 1 priorities is efficient infrastructure delivery and overall socio-economic development. Information and communication technology is a critical sector that needs ongoing restoration and expansion.
“I am proud to say that Dandemutande has understood this vision and has been contributing to it from 1997 to date. As part of the attainment of universal access by 2030, Dandemutande connected 904 schools in 2017 working with ZARNET, and this year, 1150 government sites in the form of 746 Schools, 52 centers housing people with disabilities, and 352 ZRP stations across the country of Zimbabwe. This move is a step toward achieving universal internet access in our country. It improves education delivery in the school and enhances policing and communication in the various areas where these Police Stations are.
“To ensure improved access and usage of ICTs during the NDS1 Period, the Government targets to increase the internet penetration rate from 59.1% in 2020 to 75.4% by 2025. Further, the mobile penetration rate is expected to grow from 94.2% to 100% by 2025,” Minister Muswere said.
Dandemutande is expected to contribute by expanding its network to include the under-served areas and bringing in international bandwidth to achieve the targeted internet penetration rate. It is currently working on co-building the Harare – Beitbridge Fibre backhaul infrastructure with Bandwidth Cloud Services. This project will position Zimbabwe as a viable bandwidth transit route, a destination for many ICT carriers worldwide. It will also help bring the cost of bandwidth to an affordable rate.
The Ministry of ICT, Post and Courier Services said he strongly believes in cloud computing and other cloud services. Data protection and sovereignty issues become critical as more companies migrate to the cloud. Dandemutande’s investment in the data centres shows commitment to this national objective.
The Minister visited Dandemutande’s state-of-the-art data centre in Harare, which is one of the first in Zimbabwe. To date, they have established four data centres in Harare and Bulawayo. This achievement is deserving of commendation.
The theme of “Celebrating 25 Years of Innovation” was appropriate as this has been Dandemutande’s thrust since 1997.
“This emphasizes the crucial part that ICT fosters socio-economic development and innovation in a highly connected world. Covid-19 helped accelerate some of this innovation and elevate the importance of connectivity. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transformation across the whole economy.
“Please allow me to express my sincere appreciation to Dandemutande Investments on behalf of the Ministry of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services, as you celebrate your great twenty-five years of dedication to the country’s telecoms sector. You should all be immensely proud of these historic achievements,” Minister Muswere said.