Shongedzai Mugwagwa

The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) has set up 146 community information centres across the country, the Harare Post can report.

The Director General POTRAZ, Dr Gift Machengete said this during his address during the World Telecommunications day commemorations held at Mupandawana Growth Point in Gutu.

He said this after the official commissioning of Mpandawana community information centre by the Minister of ICT Honourable Kazembe Kazembe.

Cumulatively, POTRAZ has setup 146 community centres across the country.

In his address, Dr Machengete said that Potraz had mooted a new project of containerised community information centres and that at least 24 containerised community information centres had been set up as pilot projects across the country.

“We are about to roll out the project in full swing across the country, which will have computers for research and training purposes,” he said.

The Potraz DG added that at least 720 laptops were distributed through the “connect a school” programme in Masvingo.

Minister Kazembe was the Guest of Honour at the ceremony.

In his address, Hon Kazembe acknowledged the need to increase network coverage in the country.

“We are having discussions to see how best we can have this solved. We are talking with the POTRAZ Director-General so that we can bring investors who can come and build base stations to operate and transfer,” he said.

Minister Kazembe, who also commissioned a community information centre at Gutu centre, said government had put ICT at the top of its agenda to catch up with the rest of the world.

He said innovation hubs were being put in place in universities to equip students with the ability to solve the country’s problems.

The event was attended by Mines minister, Winston Chitando, who is also Gutu Central legislator, Labour deputy minister Lovemore Matuke, local MPs and telecom executives.