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Zim
Asset: Zimbabwe’s Government plans for tech
Tendai Mupaso, Technology Zimbabwe
December 02, 2013
http://www.techzim.co.zw/2013/12/zim-asset-zimbabwes-government-plans-tech
Our fairly new
government recently released a document called Zimbabwe
Agenda for Sustainable Social-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset)
that outlines government multi-sectorial plans at economic recovery
right up to 2018. The ICT sector is listed among the seven or eight
sectors that have to kick for the desired economic transformation
to take shape and so far, it’s difficult to shake off that
nagging feeling that says this is another paper plan that will not
be executed.
The grand plan
for ICTs is to basically improve connectivity for the masses by
deploying ICTs for improved government efficiency (e-Government),
enhance e-learning and conduct ICT research and development.
There is no
doubt e-Government is pertinent and despite it being talked about
year after year, it still remains outstanding and government needs
to show some clout and get it done with. A recent visit to one of
our government departments revealed how desperate our public service
needs what some would consider elementary e-filling. Countless stacks
of paperwork and boxes filled more space than furniture and after
witnessing that, I was tempted to forgive, or at least understand
the pedestrian pace of service I received on that visit.
Government’s
most recent plan (there were many before Zim Asset) to tackle this
mess is to develop an e-Government policy, establish a government
data center, automate systems and operationalize “e-government
flagship projects”. Some of the expected outcomes are to eliminate
revenue leakages, eliminate queues at the RG’s office and,
wait for this, reduce the waiting period for a passport to 10 days.
The office of
the President and Cabinet will be leading this drive to improve
government efficiency and, according to the document, will “immediately
facilitate the fulfilment of outstanding contractual obligations
with service providers so that the process starts immediately”.
With e-leaning,
government will try to increase computer literacy in schools and
the wider community by expanding the presidential e-learning program
and introduce Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to expand infrastructure
in our school. We are told the Ministry of Information and Communication
Technology Postal and Courier Services will naturally work with
the Ministry of Education to spearhead e-Learning.
Lastly, the
government plans on paper are commission Research and Development
in ICTs which will see the government promote three (3) national
research projects and establish a “National High Performance
Computer Center”. The government hopes that this would help
improve ICT standards and utilisation. Once again this will be the
Ministry of ICTPCs’ baby.
Other plans
for wider connectivity are to capacitate TelOne, NetOne and PowerTel
to develop key ICT infrastructure, improve ICT literacy by 10% annually,
create an ICT Hub, create a national data center among other grand
plans.
Obviously we
can’t criticise the government for planning but each year
it’s the implementation that always falls off the walls. The
government has made key assumptions such as increased FDI, improved
liquidity and access to lines of credit among other assumptions
that won’t happen in the short-medium term and derail their
“quick victory” targets. This has already cast doubt
on the viability of their plans and will reduce the Zim Asset, to
just another plan for the shelves.
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