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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
THE Government intends to set up 70 Community Information Centres (CICs) countrywide to ensure that communities have access to information.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Engineer Samuel Kundishora told The Chronicle on the sidelines of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Regional Economic and Financial Forum here that work is underway towards the establishment of CICs in various districts countrywide.

Eng Kundishora said work had started in Hwange and Dete as Government targets 70 of them before April.

He said Muzarabani in Mashonaland Central, Rushinga in Mashonaland Central and Chikato in Masvingo already have operational CICs following the launch of a model CIC by President Mugabe at Murombedzi Growth Point, in Mashonaland West in 2014.

“The idea is to have a Community Information Centre in every district this year. Work has already started in Hwange while in Dete we will start soon. The CICs are being worked on concurrently. As I was coming here I visited Chegutu, Kadoma and Gweru to assess progress because we want them to be completed and launched in the first quarter,” said Eng Kundishora.

He said the CICs project was being done in phases, with the primary target being rural areas.

The Permanent Secretary said to access internet, research, photocopy and other services at the centres, people would have to pay.

He said the CICs would be useful towards development of respective communities and the country as a whole.

“In times of catastrophes such as diseases or outbreak of armyworm, community members will be able to take pictures and post on websites or send to authorities which will quicken the reaction period.

“Youth and women will also be tasked to collect demographic data in their areas which they will upload and this will help Zimstat with data while they will also create ecotourism database in their areas,” said Eng Kundishora.

He said the centres would also help keep youths away from crime.

Eng Kundishora said pupils and students would be able to do their studies there.

@ncubeleon