As the year 2015 comes to an end most people will remember it for the activity around ICT legislation and government’s involvement in the shaping of issues around technology.
Infrastructure sharing was catalysed by a 90-day ultimatum, discussions around the Cyber Crime Bill which was initially thought to be years away was brought forward and the government claimed a bigger stake in local telecoms. We even had final discussions and recommendations around the national ICT Policy.
We are still using a national ICT Policy from 2005, but the Ministry of ICT, led by Supa Mandiwanzira, has done quite a bit to fast-track the creation of a more relevant ICT Policy. A draft was prepared and it has been presented before the necessary authorities but is yet to be signed off as the new leading piece on ICT legislation in Zimbabwe.
We managed to get a copy of the draft policy at the recent Cyber Indaba. The document touches on most aspects that the government has been passionate about when it comes to ICT and how it has the mandate to facilitate the right environment for ICT to flourish as a pillar for national development.
Areas that the ICT policy touches on as priorities for the government include, among others, ICT infrastructure, e-government, content, ICT sector growth, local ICT industry development and empowerment, affordable broadband, ICT Research and cyber security.
You can access the full policy by following the link below to a pdf version of the document.
