$1 million set aside for ICT sector
Nqobile Tshili, Business Correspondent
THE government has set aside $1 million to finance the development of the software and gaming application industry that is envisaged to have a huge economic impact in the country.
Supa Mandiwanzira, the Minister of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Courier Services, revealed this at the Bulawayo Press Club last Thursday night saying the money was raised through tariffs charged on ICT operators.
“Beginning this year we agreed with operators that the amount that will be paid to the universal services fund be increased from 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent with the understanding that the additional 1 percent will go to the universal services fund.
“And part of that will go to the promotion of growth of the development of software, gaming application and various others who’re passionate about the ICTs space. That fund has started accumulating from the beginning of January and it already has quite a lot of money. We’ve raised $1 million for that,” said Minister Mandiwanzira.
He said $1 million was a lot of money to cater for the development of applications as most youths do not need thousands of dollars to do so.
“We don’t think young people who’re developing things in their computers require $20,000 to develop applications. What they probably need is a super computer with high processing capacity and access to high speed internet. We don’t think it’s going to cost over $5,000,” the minister explained.
He said it was up to software developers to come to the party as the government was committed to supporting their work.
“If we’re going to spend $1 million in a quarter to assist our young people who’re coming out of our colleges, or who’re out there trying to make a living out of software development of gaming applications, I think we would’ve done our part as government. We would’ve done our part as the ministry,” said Minister Mandiwanzira.
He said his vision was to see university students creating applications that have international acceptance citing how Facebook was started.
“We want to promote the development of applications that are relevant to Zimbabweans. We want to see Zimbabweans being creative enough at our universities, institutions of higher learning like the Harare Institute of Technology, Nust and other institutions like that to develop applications that are useful to Zimbabweans,” Mandiwanzira said.
He said the country was wasting a lot of money importing software which can be developed locally.
“I’m keen that as the minister of ICTs and the entire ministry team that’s here, that we develop local millionaires out of the ICTs. We’re spending a lot of money as government, we’re spending a lot of money as the private sector in purchasing software applications developed by innovators from other countries,” the Minister said.
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