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The Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) is reviewing its strategic plan and formulating action plans for 2022 with Dr. Jenfan Muswere, the Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services sharing his vision for the sector.
The minister reiterated the importance of strategic planning as a prerequisite for success in any endeavour and said it requires adequate and appropriate resources, both human and financial, to execute the formulated strategy.
Dr. Muswere said he expects the Board to give direction in terms of the management of POTRAZ.
“We have done our part and provided proposals for board approvals to no avail. Smart Policing, Smart Agriculture, Smart Health, e-passports, etc. What is missing is the Board’s direction as we move towards a digital economy. The POTRAZ Board should take the lead in aligning the strategic plan to vision 2030.
“Let me take this opportunity to acknowledge the sterling performance of the POTRAZ Management to date. Management has done a great job and we need to support the other active Board Members and the current management to continue doing a good job. We have been going around the country, officially commissioning several POTRAZ projects which will enhance access to ICTs by marginalized communities. However, a lot more still needs to be done in line with the Smart Zimbabwe plan. Proposals made to the Board by the Ministry in this respect remain dormant painting a picture of a Board that is missing in action,” Minister Muswere said.
The National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) outlines several broad targets for the ICT sector under the Digital Economy National Priority area. POTRAZ plays a critical role in ensuring and facilitating the digitalization of the economy. POTRAZ, as sector experts, must anticipate new technologies and be agile enough to quickly propose appropriate policy frameworks for the deployment of those technologies. For instance, whilst the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe has come up with regulations for the operation of drones, POTRAZ’s role must be clearly defined as well, to close any regulatory gaps.
The minister said to provide thought leadership in the ICT sector, POTRAZ must strengthen its Research and Development.
“POTRAZ must be ready to take added responsibility of the Data Protection Authority. Now is the time to adequately prepare for this added responsibility. You should not wait for the signing of the bill into law to start working on appropriate statutory instruments and policy frameworks for Data Protection.
“POTRAZ also ensures the digitalisation of the economy by funding and deploying various ICT projects through the Universal Service Fund. The Covid-19 pandemic taught us that access to ICTs is no longer a luxury but a necessity. However, even post-covid, life is never going to be the same again. Demand for ICT services is going to increase. I expect POTRAZ, through the Universal Service Fund, to scale up the deployment of ICT projects in underserved areas around the country. POTRAZ should ensure the availability of affordable ubiquitous ICT services across the country. No one should be left behind.
P”OTRAZ must take a lead in promoting and facilitating ICT innovations through hackathons and funding innovation hubs. To encourage more youths to participate, you should consider hosting hackathons starting at District or Provincial level with the winners competing at the national level. There are a plethora of innovative ideas which POTRAZ must help to incubate into tangible solutions in Smart Agriculture, Smart Cities, E-health, and E-government. The Ministry stands ready to assist POTRAZ where buy-in for some of the projects requires the engagement of other government ministries or departments,” Dr Muswere added.