Story by Stanley James, Business Editor
ZIMBABWE is crafting an e-commerce roadmap to facilitate increased online shopping investments in line with the digital economy aspirations by 2030.
The official opening of a women online shopping centre on Friday night created a platform to assess the facility’s importance on markets, viability and growth.
The Minister of Information, Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Dr Tatenda Mavetera who was the Guest of Honour said the government is focusing on increased online shopping investments.
“Tonight marks another important milestone where we are taking stock of achievements within the country’s digital economy space, this ceremony is a true sign of how Zimbabweans are adapting to the latest technology trends that have seen transactions being embraced on a digital scale, therefore as the government, we shall soon be rolling out an e- commerce Bill that will incorporate views of stakeholders in as much as facilitating increased e-commerce or trading activities are concerned. The relevant modalities are being worked out, Zimbabweans need to keep abreast with latest or modern trends in technology in order to realise the tenets of the digital economy by 2030. So, as we are gathering here, the key thrust is how prepared we are to embrace the online shopping strategy, the key benefits and how it can transform the economy including the overall development of societies,” she said.
The online shopping investments are also being described as an initiative towards ensuring that Zimbabweans embrace the buying and selling of goods and services, or the transmitting of funds over an electronic network in line with international trading systems.
Aygails Collection chief executive officer, Abigail Chiviya said, “We have embraced ICT, we have embraced online shopping so we get clients from as far as Gweru, Bindura and Binga, that’s because of the online platform that we are using, we are actually embracing what the Minister of ICT is doing every worker here is being trained so that he or she is able to use technology to be able to assist everyone who is outside of Harare, so our goal is to have someone who is as far as from Binga or from Chiredzi where I come from to be able to shop equally the same as they were here.”
Under the country’s digital economy agenda, the Government and the private sector are investing resources to encourage the use of Information communication Technologies in the creation, marketing and consumption of goods and services.
A digital economy falls within the country’s vision of achieving an upper middle income society by 2030.
