Story by Fairstars Mukungurutse
GOVERNMENT has pledged unwavering commitment towards creating an environment where Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) startups can thrive, innovate, and grow in line with the National Development Strategy One (NDS 1).
As the country accelerates digital transformation, a robust ecosystem for ICT startups is imminent.
In a bid to sustain the technological momentum, stakeholders in the ICT sector have drafted recommendations to bolster the national start-up policy.
“The policy environment needed a little bit of some housekeeping so that it can accommodate and promote the growth of ICT startups. We had a policy hackathon where we looked at the policy gaps, and proposed some solutions that we are going to package and present to our government through the Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Services so that they can consider making these changes,” Great Zambezi Initiative’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Stephanie Muraga said.
“We believe that if these policy interventions are put in place, we are going to see a thriving ICT startup ecosystem in Zimbabwe where investors, venture capitalists, will l find it attractive to come to Zimbabwe and invest in our innovations.”
The event also showcased youth-led innovative solutions.
“We are promoting STEM education in electronics and robotics. Furthermore, we are helping build solutions for the industry and some of the challenges that we are facing in Zimbabwe. We have electronics and robotics boards which we have developed for primary up to tertiary education, even up to professional engineers,” ICT expert Mr Eugene Jamu said.
Government is committed to supporting innovators and technological entrepreneurship.
“I am proud to acknowledge the intensive collaborative sessions held between policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors, and civil society to draft actionable recommendations for strengthening our ICT start-up ecosystem. Your recommendations and proposals will form a critical part of our National Start-Up Policies.
“On our part as a government, we are working on the modalities of establishing a National ICT Innovation Fund, to ensure start-ups receive not only seed funding but also regulatory support to scale solutions that align with our national priorities,” Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Services, Dr Beullah Chirume said.
Government introduced Education 5.0 and the Heritage-based curriculum to spur technology-driven social and economic transformation.
This year’s innovation week was running under the theme “Accelerating the Digital Economy for Inclusive Development”.
