|
GOVERNMENT will this year finalise the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) regulations to provide the necessary legislation for the growth of the sector.
There have been a number of policies to drive the sector but the regulations to anchor those policies are missing, ICT Minister Nelson Chamisa said on Monday.
The new regulations would be a component of the strategic plan launched on Monday designed to create an enabling environment for the growth of the industry.
“We launched the ICT policy in 2007 but it was not anchored on a particular regulation.
“There is no regulation. . .we need regulation as of yesterday,” Chamisa said.
“The ICT Bill has been finalised and we want to make sure it passes through Cabinet soon so that it goes to Parliament.”
The ICT Bill was withdrawn last year after it created tension in the inclusive government as it extends to other ministries but it has been revived in the new Strategic Plan 2010-2014.
The Bill seeks to establish a single authority that would regulate the information and communication technology sector.
The ICT Bill will repeal the Broadcasting Services Act, Postal and Telecommunications Act and amend some sections of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
At least 10 policies have been launched since independence to harness ICT for social and economic development to alleviate poverty.
But the absence of a legislation to govern the industry has been the missing link.
Chamisa said the vision of the ministry is to see Zimbabwe attain a high mobile penetration rate.
He said the sector should be driven by indigenous players.
“The ICT revolution is the only revolution being led by young people. All revolutions have been led by the old,” he said.
He said efforts were being made to tap into “catching them young so that we don’t lose the fruits and benefits of the ICT revolution”.
The strategic plan aims to develop and expand cross border interconnection and access to internet backbone.
The plan envisages the development of broad band optic fibre links to all major cities by 2014.
Chamisa said by June, Zimbabwe should be connected to the undersea cable via Mutare and Beitbridge.
The ambitious plan wants to tap into ICT human resources in the Diaspora and increase their participation by at least 10% every year to nurture human capital development in ICT skills.
ICTs will be made mandatory curricula at all schools and institutions of higher learning by January 2011.
It also seeks to promote the use of electronic business services and products to at least 20% of all services for public utilities by January 2013 and 30% by January 2014.
By December 2014, there should be at least 10 public private partnerships in the ICT sector, according to the plan.
President Robert Mugabe has over the past few years been distributing computers to schools in both rural and urban areas in order to boost IT development in the country.
However, computerisation of schools, particularly in rural areas, has remained hamstrung by shortages of electricity.
BY OUR STAFF
 |
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
