Potraz to roll out CICs

Source: Potraz to roll out CICs – Sunday News January 28, 2018

Nsingo, Senior Business Reporter
THE Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) will this year roll out Community Information Centres (CICs) in various villages in the country as it moves to bridge the gap in Informational Communication Technology (ICT) prevalent in remote areas.

Potraz director general Dr Gift Machengete said the organisation was engaged in negotiations with a number of firms for the provision of 40 “containerised” CICs to be enacted at selected villages across the country.

CICs are public places where people can access computers, the Internet and other digital technologies that enable them to gather information, create, learn and communicate with others while they develop essential digital skills.

“We will deploy CICs even in a village because Post Offices are not everywhere, Post Offices were put either in a Service Centre or Growth Points, in towns where the population allows for the presence of a Post Office but we are also looking at even village level.

“So we are in the process of negotiating with those who do containerised CICs which we will deploy in villages. Right now we are looking at it as a pilot (project) and the figure is about 40 and we are in negotiation to do that. So we are aware of the need to go right down to those (remote) levels,” said Dr Machengete.

Potraz’s Universal Service Fund projects manager Engineer Hasha Myambo said the organisation has enacted 83 CICs sites countrywide but it was faced with financial challenges to fully refurbish buildings earmarked for the projects as well as sourcing computers.

“The common focus of a CIC is on the use of digital technologies to support community, economic, educational and social development — reducing isolation, bridging the digital divide, promoting health issues, creating economic opportunities and reaching out to the youths,” Eng Myambo.

He said being computer literate is essential to Internet usage with one of the facets of a CIC being the provision of computer literacy training to the local community.

“Much vital information for people’s career and civic life is increasingly provided via the Internet. Placing of CICs at post office locations brings this vital information to the door-step of the beneficiaries. In order to provide equal opportunities, the deployment of CICs will see the extension of e-services to the marginalised societies,” said Eng Myambo.

He said deployment of CICs and active use of them leads to socio-economic growth while investment in ICT was associated with productivity improvements.

“High ICT investment barriers in rural areas contribute towards the creation of the digital divide. Deployment of CICs sees the provision of CAPEX and three months payment for bandwidth subscription.

“Use of quick to deploy satellite connectivity to CICs via VSAT technology offers new possibilities of universal access to the Internet. Lack of backbone terrestrial networks contributes to the digital divide,” said Eng Myambo.