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Claiming Ground in ICT Policy Processes: Zimbabwe civil society experiences
Muroro Dziruni and Margaret Zunguze
February 06, 2006

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"What is it to enable, so right and make possible, so fair and make true . . . . . . " (Anonymous, 1957)

Zimbabwe CSOs Experiences
The need to position the Civil Society Organisation (CSO) communication concerns within the broader scope of the national ICT and media policy domain in Zimbabwe initiated an innovative project: E-nable. The niche identified by CSO stakeholders was to create a way in which the sector could influence the national processes and make sure that the voice of the sector resonates within the ICT policy choices. This article highlights some of the lessons learnt from this initiative, which others in the region could learn from.

E-nable project background
The E-nable project initiative was conceptualised in May 2004 when civil society organisations in Harare held a discussion forum on understanding key policy issues, laws and regulations affecting the right to communicate and the right to information. CSOs represented at the meeting were particularly interested in understanding their role in driving the communication agenda against the backdrop of social deliverables articulated within the MDGs and the Geneva WSIS plan of action. At the same time the local communication and media context was assuming a different role in the wake of a new media bill called the Access to Information Privacy Protection Act (AIPPA) and the Public Order Security Act (POSA) that were going to legislate for accreditation demands on scribes in the media fraternity. CSO actors shared their institutional and personal opinion on the way forward in light of the apparent opportunities and perceived threats coming from both these local and global contexts.

The need for converged ICT policy
An outcome of the deliberations was the recognition that the ICT arena in Zimbabwe was extremely fragmented from a policy and legislative perspective. The sheer idea that media policy was being considered for change as a single domain and in isolation suggested that there was no national ICT policy that covered media itself, broadcasting, technology and the ICT industry. Each of the areas was managed by different line ministries and as such there was a deeply incoherent ICT regulatory environment making it particularly difficult for players in the sector to decipher their roles and responsibilities. The CSOs recommended that networking should be continued through face-to-face and electronic discussion forums, that resources for advocacy and lobbying for the adoption of a Zimbabwean ICT policy embracing the opinions of all stakeholders should be raised, and that any work in organising a consultative ICT policy platform should include an introductory research component that clearly articulates technology issues and identifies how policy should be shaped for it to benefit CSOs and the communities they serve.

Without a platformto feed back and communicate discussions, those CSO invited to represent their views could not extend their deliberations into the wider CSO community. It became increasingly apparent that without an organised response from the CSO sector, the process of a broad national consultation on ICT policy would invariably leave the sector out of the process. Hence, the birth of E-nable.

The E-nable project strategy
The strategy was to organise CSOs that were directly involved in ICT-based projects on the ground, to get buyin from these partners and to develop a common agenda on how to advocate and influence the greater ICT policy debate. This constituted the "Core Group" consisting of six CSOs active in the ICT for development and social justice arena. This was important to make sure there was no duplication of effort in the sector.

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