Story by Patience Nyagato
THE National Arts Council of Zimbabwe has entered a new era of digital transformation after signing a Memorandum of Agreement with the Bindura University of Science Education for the development of a nationwide online registration platform for artists.
For years, the arts sector has relied on manual paperwork processes that often took months to complete, resulting in delays and administrative backlogs.
The ceremony, held in Harare on Friday, marked the official commencement of work on the Zimbabwe Arts Digital Gateway, a mobile and web-based system designed to streamline how creatives register, obtain licences, and interact with the National Arts Council.
“Today is a historic day for the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe. We are turning a new page with a unified digital platform that responds to the needs of our artists and aligns us with the national digitalisation agenda,” said Mr Napoleon Nyanhi, Chief Executive Officer of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe.
The agreement also includes a 10-year capacity-building programme to ensure the council ultimately assumes full ownership and management of the system.
“This collaboration will reduce registration timelines from months to days or even hours. It will revolutionise licensing, payments, and data management for the entire arts sector,” noted Professor Eddie Mwenje, Vice Chancellor of the Bindura University of Science Education.
The new system will facilitate online registrations, automated renewals, secure digital payments, real-time dashboards, and a central database that converts historical paper-based records into digital format.
The initiative is expected to ensure that no artist or province is left behind, positioning Zimbabwe’s creative sector firmly within the digital age.
