News / Local
Potraz accelerates govt services digitilisation
15 Jan 2023 at 06:19hrs | Views
The Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (Potraz) has said it is accelerating its national digitilisation programme to enhance decentralisation of government functions through electronic means.
Potraz director-general Gift Machengete said this while handing over 160 computers to the Public Service and Social Welfare ministry on Friday in Masvingo.
The computers were donated under the e-government programme.
Machengete said the programme would be extended to all government ministries to ensure that members of the public could access government services electronically and decongest cities.
"The world is changing at an astronomical and alarming pace," Machengete said.
"Humanity is changing, technology is changing.
"We are seeing technological changes across all spheres of life, across all sectors of the economy.
"Information and communication technologies (ICT) are at the centre of most of these technological advancements and as a nation, it is paramount that we change our systems in line with the changing times.
"It is important that we keep up with the transforming world.
"We should not be left behind lest we lag behind economically and socially in the new world order."
Potraz last year handed over computers and Internet connectivity to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) as part of the e-government programme.
Machengete said the telecommunications regulatory authority wanted to ensure that members of the public had access to government services through community information centres.
"In the short- to long-term, we envision citizens accessing government services from Community Information Centres (CICs)," he said.
"Our vision is to bring convenience to the people while decongesting government offices.
"We would like to see people applying for passports, birth and death certificates and other national documents from CICs.
"We would like people to apply for liquor licences and register companies from CICs or even from their mobile phones.
"For this to succeed, the whole of government should be online and should have reliable ICT systems to support this."
In 2022, Potraz connected 1117 schools to the Internet under the schools connectivity programme.
In the same year, Potraz equipped 186 computer laboratories at various schools across the country with a minimum of 30 computers each.
Potraz also disbursed 4280 computers to schools throughout the year.
On Friday, ICT minister Jenfan Muswere commissioned 14 school computer laboratories in Masvingo province.
Potraz director-general Gift Machengete said this while handing over 160 computers to the Public Service and Social Welfare ministry on Friday in Masvingo.
The computers were donated under the e-government programme.
Machengete said the programme would be extended to all government ministries to ensure that members of the public could access government services electronically and decongest cities.
"The world is changing at an astronomical and alarming pace," Machengete said.
"Humanity is changing, technology is changing.
"We are seeing technological changes across all spheres of life, across all sectors of the economy.
"Information and communication technologies (ICT) are at the centre of most of these technological advancements and as a nation, it is paramount that we change our systems in line with the changing times.
"It is important that we keep up with the transforming world.
"We should not be left behind lest we lag behind economically and socially in the new world order."
Machengete said the telecommunications regulatory authority wanted to ensure that members of the public had access to government services through community information centres.
"In the short- to long-term, we envision citizens accessing government services from Community Information Centres (CICs)," he said.
"Our vision is to bring convenience to the people while decongesting government offices.
"We would like to see people applying for passports, birth and death certificates and other national documents from CICs.
"We would like people to apply for liquor licences and register companies from CICs or even from their mobile phones.
"For this to succeed, the whole of government should be online and should have reliable ICT systems to support this."
In 2022, Potraz connected 1117 schools to the Internet under the schools connectivity programme.
In the same year, Potraz equipped 186 computer laboratories at various schools across the country with a minimum of 30 computers each.
Potraz also disbursed 4280 computers to schools throughout the year.
On Friday, ICT minister Jenfan Muswere commissioned 14 school computer laboratories in Masvingo province.
Source - The Zimbabwe Standard
