ZRA launches online tax system
By Kabanda Chulu
Fri 19 July 2013, 14:00 CAT
ZRA has introduced an online system that will now require taxpayers to submit all returns electronically aimed at improving service delivery and making tax compliance easier.
The new system, which will officially be rolled out next month, would compel all forms of tax returns to be submitted in line with the new format.
The main objective of the electronic format is to ensure taxpayers conform to the new system that would capture integral data.
This is contained in a notice issued by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to the effect that the system would be web based and all forms and returns could be submitted electronically.
"In an effort to improve service delivery to its clients, ZRA will be introducing e-business; this new system will be called Tax Online and it will help make compliance easier," it stated.
"This new tax return format will be used when phase one rolls out in August 2013, all returns submitted by taxpayers after roll out should be in the new format."
It stated the returns would be easier to complete.
"Guidelines on how to complete the returns will be attached to each return to enable our taxpayers easily fill in the returns. Guidelines will also be available on our website," it stated.
Labels: ICT, TAXATION, ZRA
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Mobile banking changing the world - Ecobank
By Gift Chanda
Fri 14 Sep. 2012, 10:28 CAT
ECOBANK sees mobile banking is a tool for boosting access levels to basic banking services in the country, a senior official said yesterday.
Lauzi Mwamba, Ecobank Zambia head of mobile banking, said the increased rate of mobile phone penetration together with the bank's focus on mobile banking is expected to drive the growth in the country's financial sector.
Zambia's mobile user penetration has been on an increase with an estimated 8.2 million subscribers on the mobile phone grid.
Mwamba told delegates at the ongoing Celpay Zambia fourth annual conference in Lusaka yesterday of the importance of focusing on mobile banking to augment efforts aimed at getting more people to access financial services in the country.
She said because the use of mobile banking allows customers at the bottom end of the pyramid to have access to basic banking services through the mobile phone, more local people are expected to have access to basic financial services.
Mwamba observed that mobile penetration has far exceeded banking penetration and therefore the introduction of mobile banking allows more people to have access to basic banking.
"The mobile revolution is here and is changing the world," she said.
"It is up to us to embrace it and explore its many offerings to create the growth we are all looking for."
Mwamba said for Ecobank, mobile banking is clearly seen as the most efficient model for driving banking transactions and scaling them to millions of customers rapidly.
"The unbanked customers are seen as the key demand driver for Ecobank Mobile," added Mwamba.
"...because mobile banking is an affordable and reliable means of providing access to financial services to the unbanked in the urban as well as the rural areas of Zambia."
Earlier, Celpay international group chief executive officer Lazarous Muchenje said mobile banking has propelled significant changes in the financial sector globally.
He said at least 600 mobile payment platforms have sprawled over the last decade but only 10 per cent of those have been successful, especially in developing countries.
Celpay, which had been operating locally as Celpay Zambia Limited for the past 10 years, had handled close to US$2 billion worth of transactions.
The firm with other operations in Zimbabwe, Uganda, the UK and the Democratic Republic of Congo plans to invest US$10 million over the next five years to expand its operations in southern Africa.
Labels: ECOBANK, ICT, MOBILE PHONES
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UZ introduces e-farming
Saturday, 25 August 2012 19:39
Sunday Mail Reporter
The University of Zimbabwe intends to introduce e-farming, a technological platform aimed at providing instant agricultural information to farmers through mobile phones.
In an interview on the sidelines of the just-ended Harare Agricultural Show, UZ information, protocol and public relations director Mr Dennis Rwafa disclosed that the university will launch the programme next month.
“What motivated us to come up with e-farming is that we noticed farmers were being shortchanged by a chain of middlemen,” he said.
“We have now decided to give them information free of charge.
“However, the system is only available to farmers who are registered with us.
“Right now we are asking farmers to come and register with us so that their numbers will be in our database.
“By just sending a text message with the key words that we are going to give, an instant response is given.”
Mr Rwafa said the e-farming platform will give farmers access to vast agricultural information on the UZ database.
“The university has an agricultural database that houses agricultural information relevant to all Zimbabweans. The information includes inputs, market prices, animal and crop diseases and research-based data.”
Among other things on display at the UZ stand was an automatic irrigation control system based on soil moisture content.
One of the inventors of the system, Mr Michael Munyaradzi, said the innovation detects soil moisture content.
The system waters crops automatically.
“When the minimum soil moisture content that we would have programmed is reached, the irrigation system will automatically start watering the field and when the maximum is reached, it automatically stops.
“The good thing about this automatic irrigation system is that a farmer can travel for a week and still find his crop well-watered and in good condition when he comes back,” said Mr Munyaradzi, who is a computer science and physics lecturer at the university.
The UZ scooped a total of 12 prizes at this year’s Harare Agricultural Show.
Labels: AGRICULTURE, ICT
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Zimbabwe undergoing ICT revolution: Mugabe
14/07/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
ZIMBABWE is “just setting into an information communication technology revolution” and has set a 2015 target for all schools to produce school leavers with the requisite 21st century skills to play a part in the worldwide digital economy, President Robert Mugabe said on Friday.
Launching the government’s e-learning programme at a newly-built school in Matabeleland North, Mugabe pledged his government’s commitment to put computer technology at the heart of the school curriculum.
“Comrades and friends, the speed of global technological and economic transformation demands that we move abreast of other developing countries if we are to derive the full benefits of the ICT revolution and turn the digital divide into digital opportunities for the nation,” Mugabe said.
The schools e-learning programme was launched at Chogugudza Secondary School in Mashonaland East last March, and Friday saw it shift to the southern region with the launch at the Landa John Nkomo High School in Manqe, Tsholotsho.
Information Communication Technology Minister Nelson Chamisa said it was their vision that every school in the country – both secondary and primary – must use computer technology by 2015.
“Our agenda is benchmarked on 2015, we have a digital programme that by 2015 Zimbabwe should be fully on the digital platform, we are building a knowledge economy and our citizens must be digital natives,” Chamisa said.
“All schools ultimately are going to benefit, we have in excess of 8,000 schools countrywide and I am working with David Coltart [Education Minister] who is the implementing minister and the President to see this programme through.”
Under the programme, the ICT ministry will give out computers to schools, train the teachers and provide maintenance through the government-owned technology company, ZARNet.
The ministry also works hand-in-hand with the Rural Electrification Agency to ensure power – both solar and electric – is extended to all schools countrywide.
“We have a standard agenda on ICTs,” Chamisa went on, “as you may know ICTs are becoming part and parcel of teaching tools. Gone are the days when teachers used chalk board and duster, now you need PowerPoint, Keynote and projectors... that’s the direction that this country is taking. We are moving from mere pedagogy to webagogy.”
Labels: EDUCATION, ICT, ROBERT MUGABE
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First lady urges development of ICT infrastructure
By correspondent
Fri 09 Dec. 2011, 13:30 CAT
FIRST lady Dr Christine Kaseba says there is urgent need for the country to develop Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure in order to spar holistic economic development in all parts of the country.
Opening the Zambia International Conference on Telecommunication whose theme was ‘Telecommunication and beyond' at Zambezi Sun in Livingstone yesterday, Dr Kaseba said Zambia cannot afford to lag behind in technological advances whose benefits were immense.
"As a country we can longer afford to lag behind in ICT and telecommunication development because these are indispensable instruments that can spar development in all sectors of the economy," Dr Kaseba said.
She said development and expansion of existing ICT infrastructure could help the country achieve the much desired social, cultural and economic development in a bid to end poverty and make sustainable progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.
Dr Kaseba observed that the conference was timely as it was taking place at a time when the country was making some steady progress in harnessing ICT and telecommunication through development of the mobile phone industry.
"We need to explore ways on how facilities such as telemedicine can be tapped in order for us to help treat many people in the remotest parts of the country like what other countries like Kenya have done. As we try to look at ways of developing the ICT sector, we should also come up with ways on how the sector can help persons with disabilities and women," said Dr Kaseba.
"The PF government is committed towards achieving universal access to ICTs to all in Zambia including rural areas to enable everyone move in tandem with the modern way of doing things."
And an ICT consultant Professor Victor Mbarika said African countries should shift away from being consumers of ICT information to become producers.
He said most of the ICT information consumed in Africa was irrelevant and not applicable to solving myriad of problems besetting African countries.
"We need to move with the rest of the world by developing ICT solution to address our own problems," said Prof. Mbarika.
Labels: ICT
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'Reform-focused' US agonises over Chinese clout in EA
Posted Monday, December 13 2010 at 15:34
It is no secret that both Americans and Chinese harbour deep-seated suspicions of one another. However, a leaked diplomatic cable written by the US ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger provides a rare, on-the-ground-view of how America’s top diplomats view the rise of China in Africa.
It also reveals how America’s foreign policy is contributing to its waning economic influence in East Africa relative to China.
While Washington continues to take a missionary approach that seeks to spread democracy and promote governance in the region, Beijing’s policy is driven by its core national interest of economic survival.
Over the past five years, China’s relations with East Africa and the wider Great Lakes region have been driven by the need to secure energy, strategic metals and mineral reserves to meet rising consumer demand at home.
The cable, posted on global whistleblower WikiLeaks’ website, indicates that the US government is reluctant to collaborate with China in East Africa as there appears to be little convergence of the two countries’ interests to date.
In addition, China’s apparent silence on implementation of Kenya’s political reform agenda in particular, is causing unease, as the US considers the reforms essential to the country’s future stability and prosperity.
The flooding of regional markets with Chinese counterfeit goods, such as batteries, which directly damages US market share in the country, is another source of concern.
The cables say that Kenya’s leadership may be tempted to move ever closer to China in an effort to shield itself from Western, and principally US, pressure to reform. This story is already being reflected in the region’s investment data.
According to data from the Kenya Investment Authority, Chinese investment projects in Kenya in 2008 numbered about 96, representing an investment capital of $52.6 million, about 7.3 per cent of the total foreign direct investment flowing into the country.
In Kenya, Chinese foreign investment is mainly in the manufacturing and service sector with a recent shift into mining and minerals exploration.
Shengli Engineering & Consulting Company was the prime contractor for the Mombasa Road-City Centre-Gigiri road upgrade project.
In addition, the second phase of a project to upgrade the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is being worked on by China National Aero-Technology International Engineering Company. The first phase of the project was completed by the Chinese company China Wu Yi.
Negotiations are underway regarding the building of the second main port in Lamu and the South Sudan Rail Link ($1 billion, partly financed by the Chinese government).
In the East African region as a whole, China’s investment footprint has also been growing steadily. In Rwanda, for instance, according to a study done by the African Centre for Economic Transformation, between 2000 and June 2009, the Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency registered nine Chinese investment projects worth $46 million, about 4.3 per cent of registered investment projects during that period.
In line with Rwanda’s ambitions to be the dominant regional player in communications and outsourcing services, infrastructure development for information and communications technologies has become a priority in government policy.
A significant development here was the signing of a 2005 memorandum of understanding between the Rwandan government and ZTE Corporation of China, which in turn led to the engagement of Chinese ICT experts to boost the sector.
Technology projects being carried out by Chinese experts in Rwanda include the establishment of an ICT Park in Kigali and the construction and operation in 2007 of a factory by A-Link Technologies, a registered Chinese ICT company that assembles mobile phones.
The largest Chinese ICT investor in Rwanda, Star Media Communication Network Technologies, has established a pay-TV system, and further expects to invest $20 million in a television station and an Internet service provider.
In Tanzania, according to a study by H. Moshi submitted to the African Economic Research Consortium, by the end of 2007 there were more than 140 Chinese companies registered with the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) and the Business Registration and Licensing Agency.
Among them, 13 are in construction with an investment of $12.4 million; 11 in manufacturing with an investment of $54.12 million; three are in agriculture with an investment of $49.33 million; two in solid minerals and telecommunications each — investment of $11 million; and one in shipping — an investment of $5 million.
The official figures released by TIC indicate that on aggregate the Chinese share of FDI to Tanzania stood at 2.4 per cent of total FDI flow into Tanzania between 1990 and 2006.
The manufacturing sector received the lion’s share of Chinese FDI, during the period, followed by agriculture and natural resources. The dominance of Chinese FDI is in agro-based manufacturing, and in the agricultural sector.
A recent project financed by Chinese assistance is the construction of the 60,000-seaterTanzania National Stadium in 2004, constructed at a cost of $43.5 million, with 53 per cent of the cost financed by the government of Tanzania and 47 per cent ($20.5 million) financed through a soft loan from China.
In Uganda, according to the Uganda Investment Authority, Chinese investment constitutes about 26 per cent of the overall foreign direct investment in Uganda. The number of Chinese investors is growing, with 118 companies registered by 2008.
Over 200 Chinese firms are currently involved in various activities in Uganda including agro-processing, manufacturing, energy, tourism, mineral exploration and construction.
The manufacturing sector leads in Chinese FDI (63.48 per cent), followed by electricity, gas and water (12.84 per cent), with lowest investment being in social and personal services (0.13 per cent).
With respect to infrastructure, the Chinese government has stepped up China-Uganda co-operation in transportation, telecommunications, water conservancy and electricity.
China’s engagement in East Africa is expected to continue to grow, and this shift of the development landscape in the region toward the East will undoubtedly continue to cause jitters in American circles, as US interests are increasingly threatened.
Conceivably, this could, at least in Kenya, lead to a greater US insistence on “reforms.” Mr Ranneberger writes that “advancing implementation of the reform agenda is the central objective of US policy in Kenya.
Achieving this is key to ensure the future democratic stability and prosperity of Kenya, a strategically important partner of the United States.”
Labels: CHINA, ICT, KENYA, MICHAEL RANNEBERGER, RWANDA, WIKILEAKS
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SADCtrader offers SMEs free online platform
by Business reporter
07/05/2010 00:00:00
A
FREE online advertising platform has been launched to take advantage of the recent surge in continental internet penetration and help boost trade in the southern Africa region. The internet has helped transform business across the world but Africa missed out on the so-called dot.com revolution due to low internet penetration levels.
However the promoters of a new free online advertising platform,
SADCtrader.com say with Africa’s internet usage growth topping 1 800 percent in the last ten years, the continent is now experiencing its own internet revolution.
SADCtrader.com offers a free platform for private and business to business commercial interaction covering all the 15 countries in the SADC region, from Angola to Zimbabwe.
“The project was inspired by a sense of frustration caused by lack of information on how to do business in developing economies. Information on products and services as well as producers and service providers is not readily available, which is a stifling bottleneck to trade,” SADCtrader.com marketing manager Douglas Tobaiwa said.
The project offers what could be a crucial marketing platform for informal traders and the small-to- medium scale enterprise sector (SMEs) which now contributes significantly to gross domestic product growth in regional economies.
SMEs growth in Africa is generally constrained by the lack of exposure and the unavailability of information resulting in businesses failing to realize their full potential.
“Users can advertise goods and services for free and they can also use the site to find anything including a job, a date or a holiday. You can search adverts in all sections using keywords, category or price using a powerful quick search tool or by location using the map,” Tobaiwa said.
Companies can also list for free on the site’s online directory which allows them to provide key information for customers such as websites and contact details.
“They can also give a brief description of their products and services which makes it a very effective means of advertising to the entire region and the world at large,” Tobaiwa added.
Free advert uploading: http://www.sadctrader.com/selLoc/selectLoc.html
Free online directory listing: http://www.sadctrader.com/submitdirlink/0/0.html
Tobaiwa can be reached at: info@sadctrader.com
Labels: ADVERTISING, ICT, SADC, SADCTrader
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Econet to spend $300m on network expansion
by
07/05/2010 00:00:00
ECONET Wireless Chief Executive, Douglas Mboweni says the mobile phone operator will spend $300 million this year to expand its voice and data services as it targets more rapid growth. "The bulk of investments will go into expanding our infrastructure for both data and voice," Mboweni told Reuters.
Mboweni said that Econet, which competes with Telecel Zimbabwe and the state-owned NetOne, will fund the improvements through a combination of loans, internal cash and vendor financing.
The company will also continue to add subscribers, as Zimbabwe's mobile penetration remains low at about 40 percent, Mboweni added. Econet currently has 4 million subscribers, or 73 percent of the market, up from 1.2 million last year.
"We believe that for as long as the penetration in Zimbabwe is below that of our regional peers, there is plenty of opportunity to get a healthy return from further investment," Mboweni said, adding that Econet had no immediate plans to seek foreign shareholding.
The introduction of multi-currencies in 2009 has helped Econet's operations and the company has grown to become the biggest counter on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) by market capitalisation.
Zimbabwe's economy grew for the first time in a decade last year but businesses still struggle to access credit from overseas. Econet, however, was able to secure foreign financing through its South Africa-based parent company, Econet Wireless Group (EWG).
The company's earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and armotisation (EBITDA) for the year ending February 2010 stood at $179 million.
Revenues jumped to $362.7 million, up from $87.9 million the previous year.
Labels: DOUGLAS MBOWENI, ECONET, ICT
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Chamisa’s revised draft ICT Bill rejected
News Editor
Information Communication Technology Minister Nelson Chamisa recently re-submitted a draft ICT Bill for consideration months after a similar document was rejected for its constitutional and structural shortcomings. Insiders say the draft was again referred back to Minister Chamisa for "proper consultations".
According to Government sources, the minister was told to consult Media, Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu and his Trans-port, Communication and Infrastructure Development counterpart, Nicholas Goche. The draft seeks to re-order the functions of his and the other two ministries.
A source said: "As with the document presented mid-last year, the current draft seeks to strip ministers Shamu and Goche of their key functions and concentrate them under the ICT Ministry.
"Among other things, the draft wants to repeal the Postal and Telecommunications and Broadcasting Services Acts and amend the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
"No minister can prescribe a law that seeks to alter or repeal laws governed by other ministers without prior consultations and agreement between them."
Minister Chamisa presently does not administer any Act of Parliament, while Minister Shamu has oversight of AIPPA and BSA.
President Mugabe assigned Minister Goche the mandate to administer the Postal and Tele-communications Act.
Speaking from London yesterday evening, Minister Chamisa said: "I don’t know where that is coming from.
"We are in the process of Government-wide consultations and until they are concluded I am not at liberty to divulge what is happening."
He said he had presented a draft to the Council of Ministers and would — after further consultations — submit it to Cabinet for possible adoption.
Minister Chamisa said the thrust of the ICT Bill was to ensure technological convergence because Zimbabwe was "far behind the rest of the world".
"Let’s stop playing politics and focus on the dynamism of technological advancements.
"The President, at the opening of the present Parliament, asked for outstanding Bills to be submitted and the ICT Bill is one of them . . .
"Our main thrust is convergence for cyber security.
"Right now anyone can broadcast with an iPod and there is no co-ordination of these and other communications.
"Convergence is the new reality. It’s about frequency management.
"Frequency spectrums are a national resource and need to be properly managed," he said.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity, Mr George Charamba, agreed, but added: "The global man-agement of the communications sector shows that regulation depends on historical circumstances and value systems.
"The technology in use is not a value in itself but that is what the draft implies.
"The resource must be managed for the promotion and preservation of national values, such as freedom and sovereignty.
"Another is the political value of the Global Political Agreement.
"The Bill flies in the face of the political value of the GPA by seeking to strip some ministries of their functions.
"Each ministry has a function accorded it by the GPA and to seek to renegotiate the GPA by legislative stealth is a predatory instinct that ruins the GPA," he said.
Mr Charamba said the draft sought to bring all laws governing communication under one regulatory body administered by the ICT Ministry, which he said was "absurd".
He said: "I challenge the minister to give Zimbabwe a regulatory authority, which in its make-up will not reconstitute the distinctions between broadcasting, Internet and telecommunications.
"They are all unique sectors with unique sub-sectors from a regulatory point of view.
"The essence of regulation is managing the impact of communications on society.
"What the minister has missed is the social domain of communications and is instead lumping everything under the technical platforms of communications.
"Minister Chamisa is terribly mistaken in thinking the means for communications should be the basis for regulation."
He said they would sit down with ICT Ministry officials and explain to them the various issues affecting communications policy at a global and national level.
Mr Charamba said the crafters of the draft had over-read the issue of convergence.
"There is nothing new in convergence. Time was when broadcasting, radio and television used to converge on telegraphy or wire services.
"This developed over time and split and came back to a point where communications are now largely based on radio links and wires.
"It has always been integrated in an evolutionary way but regulation was under different bodies.
"Convergence need not compel bringing all laws under one statute for one governing body to administer."
He said there was no way telephony could be governed in the same way as radio.
"Find me a person who can instigate anarchy using a single telephone to the same breadth and depth that one person can do using a single television broadcast.
"They are different and are governed differently by different sets of experts," he said.
Labels: ICT, NELSON CHAMISA
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Zain announces landmark record of 3m subscribers
By Joan Chirwa
Wed 02 Dec. 2009, 04:00 CAT
ZAIN Zambia Plc on Monday announced a landmark record of three million subscribers on its network. The announcement came only weeks after the giant mobile telecommunications company launched a countdown campaign to celebrate this development.
According to a statement released by Zain Zambia’s public relations and corporate affairs manager Kennedy Mambwe, the record-breaking achievement within the Zambian telecommunications industry was an endorsement that ‘Zain is truly the most preferred mobile phone service provider covering the nation’s 72 districts and beyond’.
And announcing the development in Lusaka, Zain managing director David Holliday thanked customers for their loyalty and choice of Zain as their preferred network.
“Our network covers all districts in Zambia with the lowest calling rates. More and more people are joining Zain each day; from customers who have a genuine communications need and who want an economical phone with our 1Kwache Che offer, all the way through to small and large business and corporate customers. Whatever the needs of our customers, we at Zain have the solution,” Holliday said.
On November 2 this year, Zain announced a count-down campaign to celebrate the three millionth customer by giving a number of prizes to selected customers on the network.
The three millionth customer this month is receiving a gift of K3 million in talk-time credit to their phone.
“The celebration continues until the end of the year. Every day thousands of our customers will be winners - already we have given away over 108,000 free credits and 27 I-Pods in celebrating this milestone, provided customers have their Zain phone switched on at some time over the seven days prior to our daily draw, they will be eligible for a prize,” said Holliday.
Labels: ICT, KENNEDY MAMBWE, ZAIN ZAMBIA LIMITED PLC
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Act fast on this emerging monopoly
EDITOR — There is a very worrying trend in the Information Communication Technologies sector, which requires urgent Government intervention.
If the issue is not urgently addressed, Zimbabwe would soon have a Bill Gates kind of scenario because at one point Microsoft software packages were found on almost every computer in the world, until the anti-monopolies trust in the European Union, in particular, ended up taking Bill Gates to court where he was heavily fined.
They also argued that Gates’ monopoly was stifling innovation, growth and competition in the ICT industry.
The question we should ask ourselves is, although Bill Gates is a savvy businessman, why did the EU take such a decisive action, which on face value seems as though it was an infringement on his rights?
When one mobile phone provider in the country now has more than two million people on its subscriber base, then we should start wondering whether the provider is not already monopolising the ICT industry.
Since it is still expanding, aren’t we going to have a situation where one company ends up controlling the whole industry, which translates into having a monopoly on what people say, to whom, and what they view and listen to, when and how?
With the convergence of ICTs where we are seeing the integration of technologies such as the Internet, television, radio and newspapers, what is the result of such a monopoly?
Simply put, Government should closely monitor the situation.
Cyberpunk Librarian.
Harare.
Labels: ICT, MONOPOLIES
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Resist job cuts RB urges private sector
By NKOLE CHITALA
PRESIDENT Banda says the private sector should resist the temptation of job cuts but rather focus on other measures that can make their operations vibrant. And Zain Zambia Plc and Farmers House yesterday commissioned their newly-opened headquarters in Lusaka which was constructed at a cost of US$8 million.
Mr Banda said yesterday that he is concerned that while the economy is on the path of recovery, there is a tendency in the private sector to implement cost-cutting measures which sometimes affect employees.
Mr Banda was speaking in a speech read for him by Minister of Transport and Communications Geoffrey Lungwangwa at the commissioning of the new Zain offices in Lusaka yesterday.
He said the information communication technology (ICT) sector has remained resilient to the financial shocks such that the sector should maintain the service and employment levels.
Mr Banda commended Zain shareholders’ vision of bringing people together as partners in running the affairs of the company. He said the spirit of sharing benefits and risks encourages Government to do even more in the ICT sector.
President Banda said his Government is discussing the Information and Communication Technologies Bill, Electronic Communications and Transactions Bill and the Postal Services Bill.
He assured the nation that the bills are designed to move the ICT sector in line with regional, continental and global best practices.
Mr Banda said this is also designed to streamline the licensing regime to allow operators to determine the best technologies to deploy.
“On the other hand, Zambians, like other consumers around the globe, are eager to have technologies such as television on mobile phones in the nearest future,” he said.
Mr Banda said the bills have also made provisions for a technology neutral licensing framework while the number of licences will be minimised.
He said this is in line with Government’s policy of reducing the cost of doing business as envisaged in the business licensing reform programme.
Mr Banda said Government will continue to engage the private sector to achieve the promise expressed in the Vision 2030.
He said the national ICT policy launched in 2007 recognised the active participation of the private sector in national development especially in the delivery of services to the people.
Mr Banda said the ICT policy outlines the vision of Zambia being transformed into an information and knowledge-based society, supported by consistent development of and pervasive access to ICTs by all citizens by 2030.
And Zain Zambia Managing Director David Holliday said the company was committed to bringing innovative products and services that would help create a healthy business environment to make Zambia a more attractive investment destination.
Mr Holliday thanked Government for granting the company a 3G test licence.
“We have invested heavily in our 3G preparedness, complying with all legal requirements to ensure Zambia is not left out on the great technological advancements that are a key to national development.
“This will allow us to deliver high speed broadband internet with myriad applications from healthcare through 3G handsets, to incubating content entrepreneurs for youth and business alike,” he said.
Mr Holliday said Zain has grown considerably over the years, resulting in fragmented work space to accommodate everyone in Lusaka.
He said this has caused inefficiency with staff spread over Woodlands, Farmers House and Arcades.
Labels: ICT, JOBLOSSES, RUPIAH BANDA
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Govt to limit licenses required for ICT sector
Written by Florence Bupe
Friday, August 07, 2009 2:45:04 PM
PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has said the governmentwill minimise the number of licences required for the communications sector in a bid to reduce the cost of doing business in the country.
In a speech read on his behalf by communications minister Professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa at the official opening of the Zain Zambia head office at Zain House yesterday, President Banda said the Information and Communications Technology Bills under discussion by Parliament would provide for the streamlining of a licensing regime.
“Already, Parliament is discussing the Information and Communication Technologies Bill, Electronic Communications and Transactions Bill as well as the Postal Services Bill...Further, the number of licenses will be minimised in line with government’s policy of reducing the cost of doing business as envisaged in the Business Licensing Reform Programme,” he said.
President Banda observed that the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector had withstood the impact of the prevailing global economic crisis.
He said this was as a result of measures instituted, but cautioned Zain Zambia management against undertaking cost saving measures that would work against employees.
“In this time of the global crisis, I am comforted by the fact that the ICT sector has remained resilient to the financial shocks such that the sector has maintained the service of employment levels,” President Banda said. “However, I am concerned that while we are still on the recovery path, there is a tendency to take cost cutting measures that may affect employees in the sector.”
President Banda further observed that private sector participation was vital in the growth of the sector in particular, and the country’s economy as a whole.
“Let me also recognise the investment made by the private sector in contributing to the treasury through tax and non tax contributions. These are some of the benefits that government can realise from increased investment in the country,” said President Banda.
Zain Zambia managing director David Holliday said the company would continue to invest in Zambia for as long as the investment policies remained conducive.
And Farmers House chairperson Timothy Mushibwe said his organisation would uphold infrastructure development as a means of enhanced economic growth.
The Zain House is a Farmers House venture undertaken at a cost of US $8 million and has been leased to Zain Zambia.
Labels: GEOFFREY LUNGWANGWA, ICT, RUPIAH BANDA
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Chamisa's ICT Bill threatens unity: reports
Pius Muringisi
Thu, 23 Jul 2009 04:59:00 +0000
ICT Minister Nelson Chamisa
A PROPOSED Information Communication Technology (ICT) Bill threatens to usurp the powers of the president and reduce various ministers to figureheads, according to the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda.
Last week, ICT Minister Nelson Chamisa submitted a draft ICT Bill to Dr Sibanda that — if passed into law — will see the Media, Information and Publicity and Transport ministers stripped of core functions.
Dr Sibanda declined to transmit the draft to the Cabinet Committee on Legislation after discovering that it was an attempt to re-assign the functions of the portfolios; something that only the Head of State and Government President Robert Mugabe has the prerogative to do.
The Bill which was seen by the Zimbabwe Guardian on Wednesday seeks to achieve the following:
“Provide for the establishment of the National Information and Communications Technology Authority of Zimbabwe and to provide for its functions and management;
“Provide for the licensing and regulation of telecommunication, broadcasting and postal services;
“Provide for the facilitation and regulation of electronic communications and transactions;
“To repeal the Postal and Telecommunications Act and the Broadcasting Services Act, to amend the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and to provide for matters incidental thereto.”
Currently, Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Nicholas Goche administers the Postal and Telecommunications Act, while Media, Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu does the same for BSA and AIPPA.
The ICT Bill is an outcome of the ongoing battle between Chamisa and Shamu on the administration of certain aspects of telecommunications sector.
Chamisa wants control of the fixed line telecommunications sector, where government has held a sway through TelOne since independence in 1980.
He also seeks to control telecommunications and the broadcast media.
Chamisa's efforts at controlling these functions prompted President Mugabe to transfer the communication portfolio from the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development led by Nicholas Goche.
Sources in the Zanu PF party have dismissed the bill as a political bill and criticised the minister for "playing politics with a crucial ministry".
President Mugabe’s spokesperson and Secretary for Media, Information and Publicity, George Charamba said Chamisa had “grievously misdirected himself” in trying to change the functions of certain ministries and seeking to repeal laws that he did not administer.
"I can tell you that it is transcendental in intention. It goes beyond the portfolio of the ICT Minister in that it purports to take legislative decisions on at least three Acts which are outside his mandate," said Charamba.
“Presently, Minister Chamisa is minding what can be described as virgin territory legislatively in that he has not been assigned to administer any Act and in my experience of Government a minister can only influence the life of an Act that has been officially assigned to him.”
He added: “No minister can seek to override, let alone rescind and annul an Act outside his or her portfolio. This, therefore, is without precedent.
Charamba said the only person in government with such "transcedental authority" was the President, according to the Constitution and the Global Political Agreement signed by Zanu PF and the two MDC formations in February this year in forming the inclusive Government.
“The only person with such transcendental authority, according to the Constitution and the GPA, is President Mugabe.”
BITI BUDGET STATEMENT, ICT BILL WELL TIMED
Meanwhile Finance Minister Tendai Biti's move to lift duty on cellphones, computer equipment and scrapping of duty on foreign newspapers without consulting
the relevant ministries has been criticised as "a systematic assassination of the authority of the President and key Cabinet ministers."
Biti and Chamisa are seen to be colluding to undermine the authority of the President, the Prime Minister and various ministers in Cabinet.
A few weeks ago, Biti has dismissed statements made by PM Tsvangirai as untrue; which have later been proved to have been correct. He dismissed PM Tsvangirai's statement that Zimbabwe had received over US$900 million in credit lines from China and the existence of a US$5 billion loan from that country. These loans were later proved to be existent.
*The Herald newspaper and other sources were used in compiling this report.
A source in the President's office said: “Biti wants newsprint to come in for free and at the same time Chamisa is trying to strip the Ministry of Information of its role. These are things that should not be read in isolation."
Labels: ICT, MISHECK SIBANDA, NELSON CHAMISA
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Parliamentary Committee recommends liberalising International gateway
November 21, 2008
The Parliamentary Committee on Communications, Transport, Works and Supply has called on government to liberalise the international gateway.
Committee Chairperson, Douglas Syakalima, says liberalising the international gateway would result in reduced tariffs.
Mr. Syakalima says government’s policy to maintain only one international gateway may disrupt the telecommunications services in the country.
He says this is because ZAMTEL, which operates the international gateway is currently experiencing financial and operational difficulties.
He says security concerns raised on the liberalisation of the international gateway are unfounded.
Mr. Syakalima was speaking in parliament when he presented a report compiled by the parliamentary committee on Communications, Transport, Works and Supply.
He further said ZAMTEL is insolvent and that the firm needs to be restructured and re-capitalised.
[ZNBC]
Labels: DOUGLAS SYAKALIMA, ICT, PCCTWS, ZAMTEL
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Should Zambians in Diaspora Come Back
November 20, 2008
By Wesley NgwenyaSeveral years ago I was privileged to meet former president Levy Mwanawasa in Washington DC when he attended the annual United Nations Security Council Meeting. This was the year that Mwanawasa had just ascended to the highest office in the land. During the semi-formal meeting at the Zambian embassy in Washington DC, the President encouraged the many Zambians present to come back home to contribute to the rebuilding of the economy.
At the time I was doing my last year at one of the universities in the area. With the passion I have for my country, I took the president’s appeal very serious. A few years later I packed my belongings and came straight home to help in the rebuilding of my country. I had been gone to the United States for nine years and during that time had never come back home. I experienced reverse “culture shock” from the dilapidated infrastructure around the city to the many people standing around street corners with nothing to do. It was then it really hit home in my mind on how real and high unemployment rate was in my country.
The next day after arriving I went straight to work—applying for a job to various businesses, government, and non-governmental organizations where I thought my education and experience would be taken advantage of. I have never been offered a job to this day although I was able to attend a few interviews. I must mention here that at my last count I had applied to roughly 260 places over the period of a year and half.
I guess the big question is; Should Zambians Abroad Come Back Home? Or to rephrase the question; Are we ready for Zambians Abroad to come back home? During my stay abroad, I attended meetings of various African politicians and Zambians politicians who continue preaching about creating jobs and appealing for the Diaspora to come back home. Unfortunately, little is being done on the ground to prepare it for these people when they come. I find it frustrating to struggle like this in my home country. In the United States the employers rushed to offer me a position when they looked at my qualifications. On the other hand, employers here don’t seem to appreciate the education and experience I have. Not to mention that I graduated on the top tier of my class in Business Administration and Marketing. My experiences have included working as a manager for one of the largest financial institutions in the world. Not to mention that in all my marketing position I have won awards for best performance. Not to mention that I went to one of the best private universities in the United States. Not to mention that I also got another degree in communication from an elite private school.
If I was an employer here in Zambia and a CV that looked like this came to my desk I would be wanting to talk to this person. Businesses in Zambia must realize that Zambians educated abroad are not a threat to their teams but an asset that they must take advantage of. The world in becoming more and more integrated into one marketplace. Businesses with personnel who have a worldview approach and a global touch to business will stand the chance to benefit. Employees with a global view bring a wealth of experience including the ability to work well with different people from other cultures as well as people of different ages.
Government has absolutely failed in changing the unbelievably high unemployment rate in this country. They have failed the Zambian people in having poor labor laws that disadvantage many Zambians. For example, why hire a South African to be a cook at a hotel, or an American to work as a marketing manager, or a Chinese (who can hardly speak English) to work as a secretary? Needless to say that companies go to great lengths in acquiring work permits and other immigration papers for these people. Moreover these people are often paid three times or more what a more qualified Zambians is willing to take home. Is there any business sense in this other than the fact that these business owners have identified our weak labor laws and will relentlessly take advantage of them?
If government will attract the Zambian Diaspora to return home they need to even the playing field for everyone. As a matter of fact, the playing field should advantage the Zambians. Foreigners come to Zambia with little or no capital but within years they get wealthy. Of course they get wealthy since they get the huge government contracts, don’t have to queue for anything, and easily get business loans to start their businesses. Why advantage foreigners over your own citizenry? Do you think this would happen in Canada, Germany, Botswana or India? Of course not. The government, therefore, has an obligation to create an environment suitable for a poor woman in Solwezi to establish her business favorably the way an Australian will. It has an obligation to contract a Zambian owned business in Maamba over a Chinese owned business. It has an obligation to employ a returning Zambian student from the United Kingdom over an unqualified South African.
Sometimes, there is a stereotype that Zambian who come back have money—actually they don’t. Many of them worked hard in their host countries to acquire the little they had. Thank God at least many times they were recognized and appreciated for their hard work. Saving money was not so easy because of the demands that come with living in a foreign country. Therefore, when they come home they equally need to be empowered by giving them opportunities to get loans and establish businesses if they are to be self-employed. The Citizens Economic Empowerment Fund is a great initiative, however many Zambians don’t even know there is such a fund let alone how to access it. The application papers are unavailable and have to be bought at high prices. The application paper itself is complex with financial jargon for a graduate even. How will this help empower Zambians?
As I sit on my computer and put these thoughts to paper, I wonder of how things will be different for me a year from now. Will I find a job—just any job? Will my business pick after accessing that loan? I wonder about the blind lady on the fly over bridge on Church Road or the crippled lady across from Central Park. How will their lives change a year from now? Will their luck to have a meal continue to be in the hands of passer-bys in these tough times? Or should it be in the hands of the government? I wonder.
Categories: Lifestyle
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Labels: CABINET, HIPC, ICT, PAC, SITUMBEKO MUSOKOTWANE
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These are some of the collected articles from dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, the recently appointed Finance Minister.
ICT has potential to reduce public sector spendingGOVERNMENT will ensure that the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is given priority because it has the potential to reduce public sector spending by attracting private local and foreign direct investments.
Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet Situmbeko Musokotwane said
Government had put in place the Zambia Development Agency (ZDAA) Act and the Citizens Economic Empowerment (CEEA) Act and that the two instruments were designed to increase the economic performance of all sectors in the country.
Opening a three-day ICT draft bill stakeholders consultative meeting at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka yesterday, Dr Musokotwane said ICT would be used as an effective tool for poverty reduction because it had the potential to substantially advance progress towards the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Dr Musokotwane said the ZDAA and CEEA instruments were designed to increase the economic performance of all sectors in the country but stressed that this would only become a reality if the ICT sector’s legal and regulatory framework was supportive of the broader social and economic policies of Government.
He said the ICT sector was steadily becoming the leader in investment in the country and that the high level of confidence was shared by the corporate world in Zambia as reflected in the first ever Business Leaders Confidence Index (BLCI) for Zambia recently undertaken by the Steadman Group which revealed that the ICT sector was a leader in confidence by having 61 index points, the highest points above any other sector in the country.
He said in order to maintain the momentum, a dynamic legal and regulatory framework was imperative to act as the foundation for the development of the ICT sector and that Government had since committed itself to establishing an autonomous regulatory body capable of implementing the vision of a fully liberalised ICT sector.
Government had also committed itself to promote the development of licensing framework that take into account the use of cost -effective technologies and systems that could assist in increasing access to the ICTs especially in rural areas.
“As you discuss the ICT bill, it is important to note that in the national ICT policy, the Zambian Government has committed itself to developing appropriate institutional, legal and regulatory frameworks in order to support the development of a competitive local ICT sector and an information society based on coverage, fair, predictable and transparent legal and regulatory system,” he said.
He said Government through the Ministry of Communication and Transport and the Communication Authority had begun implementing some of the commitments made in the policy including the development of a new legal framework.
At the same function, Communication Authority chief executive Shuller Habenzu said the workshop was aimed at shaping the direction of the sector to meet not only current and future industry requirements but would focus on regional and international best practices so that Zambia benefits from its membership to the global village.
[Times of Zambia]
http://www.times.co.zm/news/viewnews.cgi?category=3&id=1079493974
Opinion
THE summary of what Secretary to the Treasury Situmbeko Musokotwane said before the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee yesterday is that Government needs to apply fiscal discipline more than any other time before.
Dr Musokotwane admitted before the committee that it was becoming increasingly difficult for Government to spread the little resources because the demands were high against a lean income inflow.
“We need to ask ourselves honestly and fairly, how many institutions can we afford to fund. Given the resource base, we have too many institutions to support and at the end of the day our expenditure levels are too high,” he told the parliamentary team.
The revelation that the size of Government is large is not new at all, but rather what is encouraging is that difficult as the task is, some measures are being taken to correct flaws such as over-expenditure.
According to Dr Musokotwane, even the supplementary expenditure on defence and Office of the President will now have to be tabled before Cabinet for necessary surgery. That means there is no sacred cow anymore.
Every one has to sacrifice for the country to move forward.
It is also good that authorities are responding to public concerns on the need to trim the size of Government. Suggestions from the public and recommendations of the national Indaba last September on the issue are all being taken on board.
This, as mentioned before, is a very difficult and challenging task which will call for more than just sacrifice. Government has to do all it can to boost resources and may need the helping hand of co-operating partners.
But what is more important is for the system of Government to begin adjusting. There is need for internal discipline. In the past there have been cases of over-expenditure and diversion of some resources.
As Dr Musokotwane revealed, funds from the fuel levy that were taken elsewhere is an example. Such things have to be stopped.
However, as the committee directed, there appears to have been gross misapplication of Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) funds.
Everything must be done to follow up the culprits. More importantly stringent controls are central to curbing further misuse of funds.
The country has a serious assignment to reach the HIPC completion point. This will only be possible if conditions are met.
Controlling officers in Government therefore have a mammoth task to monitor each and every expenditure.
Every coin should be accounted for. Internal weaknesses, as the parliamentary committee observed account for most lapses, and have contributed to misuse and misapplication of funds in the system. There is need to turn a new leaf for Zambia to succeed. Fiscal discipline is the critical factor.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200511/22/print20051122_223205.html
Zambia expects 6 percent GDP growth in years ahead
The Zambian government has projected an average of six percent growth in its gross domestic product (GDP) between 2006 and 2008, the official Times of Zambia newspaper said Tuesday.
The projection is contained in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework released by the government Monday.
Situmbeko Musokotwane, secretary to the treasury, was quoted as saying that mining and construction will continue to dominate the growth process, especially with the opening of major new copper mines in the Northwestern Province.
Other sectors that should contribute to the growth include manufacturing, tourism, transport, storage and communications, he said.
Musokotwane said the government would focus on labor-intensive sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing.
"In this regard, particular attention will be on expanding rural infrastructure such as feeder roads, bridges and dams, among others," he said.
Zambia recorded a 4.6 percent GDP growth rate in 2004, thanks mainly to increased copper production, its single biggest forex earner. The government has projected an even stronger growth for 2005.
Source: Xinhua
http://english.people.com.cn/200512/26/print20051226_230898.html
Zambia to explore possibility of leasing oil refinery
Zambia is to explore possibility of leasing its sole petroleum refinery to private investors, Zambia Daily Mail reported Monday.
Situmbeko Musokotwane, secretary of the treasury, was quoted as saying that the move aims at encouraging new private investment into Indeni petroleum refinery in the northern Zambia to improve its efficiency.
The refinery has been dogged by frequent breakdowns leading to fuel shortages in the southern African inland country.
Musokotwane said the government will instead focus its attention to managing fuel strategic reserves as opposed to running the refinery.
The government is carrying out a legal and technical review on Indeni to recommend options on the future of the plant, he said.
http://www.ciol.com/News/News-Reports/Zambia-Govt-keen-on-investments-from-India/16108102856/0/
Realizing the importance of IT, Republic of Zambia has declared education priority sector. "The government has decided to attract giant investments from Asia particularly India. This will help increase skills training and create job opportunities. We don't have enough schools for children. We are hiring more teachers and learning materials. We don't have adequate facilities too. The government is also looking at attracting investments in tourism, agriculture and other areas," Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, economic advisor to the President of Zambia told CIOL.
The delegation, which visited the IT capital on Tuesday to explore possibilities of attracting investments to Zambia, has seen signs of investments from Mysore. This was evident when the Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane and High Commissioner Keli Walubita invited Raman International Institute of Information Technology (RiiiT)- India's first IT finishing school supported by Karnataka Government, to set up Information Communication Centre (ICT) centre in Zambia.
Labels: CABINET, ICT, MINISTRY OF FINANCE, SITUMBEKO MUSOKOTWANE
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ZAFOD bemoans ICT access barriers for the disabled
By Kabanda Chulu
Sunday May 18, 2008 [04:00]
PEOPLE with disabilities will be condemned to underdevelopment if they have no access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Zambia Federation of the Disabled (ZAFOD) director Felix Simulunga has said. And the Action on Disability and Development (ADD) has stated that the ICTs divide will remain a reality due to lack of equal access to facilities.
During commemorations to mark World Telecommunications and Information Society Day whose theme is 'Connecting persons with disabilities: ICTs for all', Simulunga yesterday said ZAFOD equated the lack of access to participate in ICTs to exclusion, which was a form of discrimination under the persons with disabilities Act of 1996.
He said there was tremendous development in ICTs but suppliers and operators had thought very little as far as users with disabilities were concerned.
"Despite vast improvements in the ICT field, planners, manufacturers and decision-makers have either not realised or not given serious consideration to the needs of people with disabilities and most ICT facilities have been designed to suit non-disabled people only," Simulunga said.
He said many physically disabled persons in Zambia could not use public telephones, Internet and other ICT facilities due to barriers.
"For instance a telephone booth may be inaccessible because of a step or because it is too narrow for a wheelchair and for people with visual impairments, they face great problems using computers as computers are mainly designed to display information visually on the screen, without audio support but this barrier can be overcome by using adaptive software for the blind including screen readers (e.g. Jaws - Job Access With Speech),
self voicing internet browsers, mail software and editors," Simulunga said. "As for people with hearing impairments or deaf, public telephones may not meet their needs at all, and may be this is also true with most handsets. As for television, there is no sign language interpretation for main news and other programmes of significant national interest."
And in a statement, ADD stated that there was need for stakeholders to reflect and understand which role they could play to reduce the digital divide and make the world a better place for persons with disabilities, be it in school, work or daily life.
"These new technologies offer little of promise and the ICT divide will remain a reality due to lack of equal access, for example, telephone booths are often located in places that are difficult to reach by wheel chair users due to the insensitive architectural designs," stated ADD. "And time has come for policy makers, service providers and organisations for persons with disabilities to create bridges between the policy tracks of telecommunications issues."
Labels: ICT, ZAFOD
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Making ICT accessible to all
By Editor
Saturday May 17, 2008 [04:00]
The highest level of political thought was reached when some men became aware that the fruits of the efforts and intelligence of each human being should reach all others. As we celebrate World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, there is need for us to realise that globalisation is an objective reality underlining the fact that we are all passengers on the same vessel – this planet where we all live. But passengers on this vessel are travelling in very different conditions.
A trifling minority is travelling in luxurious cabins furnished with the internet, cell phones and access to global communication networks. They enjoy a nutritious, abundant and balanced diet as well as clean water supplies. They have access to sophisticated medical care and culture.
The overwhelming and suffering majority is travelling in conditions that resemble the terrible slave trade from Africa some centuries ago. That is, the great majority of the passengers on this ship are crowded in its dirty hold, suffering hunger, disease and helplessness.
Obviously, this vessel is carrying too much injustice to remain afloat, pursuing such an irrational and senseless route.
It is our duty to take our rightful place at the helm and ensure that all passengers can travel in conditions of solidarity, equity and justice. But to achieve this, communication has to improve.
Those at the lowest levels have to catch up. And World Telecommunication and Information Society Day heralds the enabling and transformative role of communications and information in societies, and the universal need to communicate and cooperate across borders.
It is also the day in 1865 when the International Communication Union (ITU) was founded. At the time, the idea to transmit electronic signals across wires had already set forth a dramatic chain reaction of competing technologies.
ITU was formed to address the growing need for international standards. From these early days, ITU has played a key role in connecting the world, a challenge which continues today with 3G Mobile and Broadband technologies.
Yet the reach of telecommunication technology is not universal; it’s benefits have not been shared equally.
The theme of this year’s observance, “Connecting persons with disabilities”, highlights the importance of making information and communication technologies (ICT) equipment and services accessible to meet the needs of persons with disabilities.
This may not seem to be much of an issue in nations like ours where the majority of the people without disabilities have no reasonable access to ICTs. But we shouldn’t forget that it is important to remember that any one can be disabled at any moment.
It is vital, therefore, that as we develop our ICTs, we from the start take into account the needs of persons with disabilities and ensure their right to fully participate in the information society.
And we should work towards acquiring communication technologies that will be inclusive and accessible to all. Everyone must have the opportunity to participate in the digital age. And no one should be denied the potential benefits of ITC, not least because they are hampered by their disabilities.
As ICT bring a range of innovations in the workplace, at home and in every facet of our lives, these benefits must also be harnessed for the benefits of persons with disabilities.
There is need for us to address the special requirements of persons with disabilities along with other marginalised and vulnerable groups in our national e-strategies.
There is need for us to promote the universal ubiquitous, equitable and affordable access to ICT and ensure that the benefits are evenly distributed to bridge the digital divide by creating digital opportunities to harness the full potential for development offered by state-of-the-art ICT.
There is need for us to pay reasonable attention to meeting the ICT needs of persons with disabilities by aiming to empower every citizen with information and knowledge, improving the lines of communication to the remotest and most vulnerable groups, and building an inclusive information society geared towards the advancement of a better, more peaceful and productive nation.
As we celebrate World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, we invite the nation to join us in our endeavour to provide Zambia with high-speed wireless broadband internet services and communications solutions.
Next month, through Post ISP Zambia, we will be launching high-speed wireless broadband internet services and communications solutions to cater for both corporate and individual clients.
The move to establish Post ISP Zambia was prompted by the continued complaints of extremely low internet connectivity speeds on account of old technology deployed by our current providers of internet services. The failure to deploy latest technology has resulted in low market penetration, high roll out costs and inefficient service provision which have been passed on to the users leading to prohibitively high costs of accessing the service.
In response to this, Post ISP Zambia has acquired and will be rolling out superior equipment based on WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) technology, which not only provides a cost-effective roll out advantage, but will help boost internet access among our people and will work towards bringing down the cost of service provision in this sector.
This technology will enable Post ISP Zambia to provide other new services not limited to broadband internet access, such as IPTV, backhaul for Wi-Fi hotspots, VoIP, and many more.
And even though currently Zambia has seven ISPs, there are still many segments of our country that are underserved or poorly served or not served at all with regard to internet speeds and connectivity. Post ISP Zambia will provide a key service to our people by being the catalyst for e-mail commerce development, low-cost internet services and increased web interaction with the world.
Post ISP Zambia will be able to tailor design services to fit many different needs. Consulting, web hosting, internet security, and maintenance are all add-on services that can add to the broad product range that Post ISP Zambia will offer.
It is envisioned that with the launch next month of Post ISP Zambia, the nation will finally have a service provider that plans to grow with the community and understands its needs.
In this way, we hope to contribute to making the reach of communication technology universal and its benefits shared equally.
With Post ISP Zambia, we hope to contribute to the linking of ICT with human development and contribute to the building of a global inclusive, people-centred and development-oriented information society through the sharing of information and knowledge.
Labels: ICT, ITU
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ICT should be accessible, says Ban
By Mwila Chansa
Saturday May 17, 2008 [04:00]
INFORMATION and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment and services should be made accessible to meet the needs of persons with disabilities, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has said. And transport and communications minister Dora Siliya observed that as Zambia commemorated the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, it was important to realise that ICT was not the future because the future was already here.
In his message on the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, which falls today, Ban stated that the reach of communication technology was not universal and its benefits had not been shared equally.
"The World Summit on the Information Society held in Geneva in 2003 and Tunis in 2005, linked ICT with human development and called on member states to build a global inclusive, people-centered and development-oriented information society through the sharing of information and knowledge," Ban stated.
He added that the summit also urged member states to address special requirements of persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups and that this year's theme which is ‘Connecting Persons with Disabilities' highlighted the importance of making ICT accessible to persons with disabilities.
"There are an estimated 650 million persons with disabilities worldwide. Including their families, there are nearly two billion persons who are directly affected by disability, almost a third of the world's population," he stated.
Ban added that it was important to remember that anyone could become disabled at any moment.
He called for a change in attitude towards persons with disabilities so that all their fundamental rights and freedoms could be honoured, including the right to fully participate in the information society and bring forth input, ideas and effort from their community.
Ban further urged policymakers and industry leaders to accelerate scientific and technical research aimed at developing technologies that would be inclusive and accessible to all.
"On this day, let us pledge to adhere to the guiding principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and work together to connect all human kind equally to the present opportunities and those yet possible in our ever evolving world," stated Ban.
And Siliya said there was need to mainstream ICT in all government services through e-governance and in business through e-commerce.
She said mainstreaming provided real opportunities for the provision of jobs especially for young people.
Siliya also said in countries that had recorded rapid ICT growth, there had been a corresponding growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Labels: BAN KI-MOON, ICT
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