By Staff Reporter
President Mnangagwa yesterday commissioned the new National Data Centre (NDC) that will anchor all e-Government programmes and allow coordinated planning and monitoring of results.
Speaking at the occasion, the President said connectivity plays a significant role in the development of the nation as it is the life blood of all business transactions.
“In the present development epoch, technology plays a significant role where connectivity is viewed as the lifeblood of all business transactions and human interactions. Strategic facilities such as the National Data Centre ensure that Zimbabwe is not left behind.
“To this end, we envisage ICTs to become the backbone underpinning our national development, competitiveness and adaptation to the post COVID-19 world,” he said.
The President said his focus would remain on making Government more relevant, responsive and closer to the people.
“Guided by our public sector reform agenda, focus will remain on making Government more relevant, responsive and closer to the people. The need to continuously adopt systems that eliminate bureaucratic red-tape and reduce the cost of doing business cannot be overemphasized, hence the National Data Centre is a vital cog to achieve these objectives,” said President Mnangagwa.
The President said the NDC would anchor e-Government systems as the centre pivot for the whole of Government approach to ensure coordinated planning and implementation of National Development Plans.
President Mnangagwa informed that he was already using the executive electronic dashboard in his office, linked to the NDC, and this helped him compare what he heard from his ministers with the data in the centre.
He said the NDC must play the role of transforming the way Government data was gathered, stored and disseminated.
The President urged the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to help ensure ICT migration from different Government departments to the National Data Centre by availing the requisite devices and connectivity infrastructure to enable civil servants to access the NDC.
President Mnangagwa further said the NDC would ensure that planned programmes and projects will be timely implemented, monitored and evaluated.
He challenged the youths and technopreneurs to ride on Government availed ICT projects and infrastructure to create robust downstream ICT industries and Technology Parks.
The President added that his administration remained committed to funding key national strategic projects.
He thanked the Chinese government for its strategic support and partnership that saw the successful and timely completion of the project.
The President was accompanied by his two deputies, Vice Presidents Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi, Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa, Public Service Commission chair, Dr Vincent Hungwe, Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda, among other senior Government officials.
