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Michael Magoronga, Midlands Correspondent

ZIMBABWE is making significant strides in digital transformation, which is a key enabler towards attaining the National Development Strategy (NDS1) goals and the ultimate upper middle-income economy vision by 2030.

Information Communication Technology (ICT), Postal and Courier Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere, said this while officiating at the 2021 Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) Hackathon event held in Kwekwe recently.

As part of preparations, youths drawn from across the country were asked to design models that would improve the agriculture sector as well as help in combating the global Covid-19 pandemic.

“We want to exploit the potential of ICTs. This component underlines Government commitment in terms of human capital development.

“As a ministry we want an army of ICT experts who are responsible for transforming all value chains in this country and help transform the NDS1,” he said.

“The country cannot run away from participating in the 4th industrial revolution, which emphasizes a digital economy and every participant during the competition should ensure that Zimbabwe is the winner at the end of the day.

“We need to focus on implementation. ICT is the new electricity that we cannot do without. We are embarking on an innovative drive as we need to ensure that whenever we need solutions, we can easily get them from the academia, from the Government and other experts.”

The minister applauded Potraz for investing in the youths saying such projects were critical in changing the fortunes of the country.

“We are not supposed to be importing batteries, charges and other smaller things. We underline our commitment to a digital economy through these hackathon components,” he said.

“So, we see the potential that our students have. We need to develop them into a smart Zimbabwe master plan, which also has its components in smart education, smart health, smart agriculture and smart transport. All these dovetail into NDS1.”

Potraz director general, Dr Gift Machengete, said innovation was the hallmark for human survival and the epitome of human progress.

“Innovation helps to overcome the barriers of distance and time, and significantly improve the accessibility of information and knowledge,” he said.

“Innovation enhances the productivity of firms, while increasing their overall efficiency. Thus, contributing to the economic growth and development.”

The 2021 Hackathons were conducted virtually and saw 97 teams taking part in the Covid-19 category. Mehluli Nokwara, who designed a low-cost ventilator, walked away with $5 million prize after scooping first position in the Covid-19 category whilst Crop Doctor won the first prize in the Agri-Tech category for their efforts in a low-cost irrigations system.