On the 14th of March 2018, we attended the launch of Zimbabwe’s ICT Policy at HICC. The ICT Policy was largely overshadowed by another initiative that was being launched by POTRAZ: The Innovation Drive. Since the event, the ICT Policy has proven to be a rare commodity and we are yet to see it or actually have a clue on how to get it.
The downloads section -where documents such as ICT Policy documents from years past are found- looks like a ghost town and the last update on the page is the 2017 Cybercrime and Cybersecurity bill.
What was the purpose of the launch event?
I never understand why we (Zimbabweans) love having launch events for anything and everything. Granted, the ICT Policy launch event was coupled with the launch of the ICT Innovation Drive so depending on how you look at things that might have justified a launch event. But there are questions concerning the Innovation Drive itself because there were many questions that were not answered at the event and those questions remain unanswered even now as we get into the second phase of the Innovation Drive.
At the end of the day, these launch events end up feeling empty and ceremonial because if we are still asking multiple questions a month and a half after the event, then what was the purpose of the event?
Anyway, shortly after the launch of the ICT Policy for 2018, we went to a POTRAZ stand at the venue and asked for a copy of the ICT Policy and they informed us that they did not have one, either physically or digitally. The assistant at the stand recommended that we try to download the policy on the official page of the ICT Ministry. It made sense that they would have it there but when we went to the site there was no document to be found.
So much trouble for a document that’s supposed to be public…
We reached out to the ICT Ministry to try and understand what exactly was going on but to our dismay, we could not reach them. Looking for them was a polite gesture on our part because in all honesty this is a public document and we should not be looking for people in order to get our hands on it in the first place.
Today it still isn’t on the site and we are wondering how exactly to get a hold of this elusive document. If the ICT Ministry comes across this, please UPLOAD the new National ICT Policy on your website. We are tired of waiting for the document.
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I thought my googling skills were faulty because i also have been trying to get a hold of this document. I went to the desk where the hard copies were supposed to be and a lady told me the copies had finished and refereed to me to the site.
Wondering if there is anyone who actually got this hard copy document before i arrived or they had run out from the onset.
It’s just ridiculous man!
It’s interesting you say this because a lot of documents are actually missing. There is talk of trade policy but where is the policy document?
usadherere Supa Thief Mandiwanzira… Everything that he touches turns to dust!
Apparently the innovation fund to eb awarded to those 6 winners still hasnt come through.Unfortunately Im one of the winners and we have been up and dwon POTRAZ offices, made numerous calls to no avail. All the 6 winners have been asked to revise their figures and resubmit and noone will be paid the full amount as initially stated or applied for but will be given in stages as they monitor to see the progress which is strange because one would have applied knowing exactly how much they need in order to get started with the project earing in mind that within 1 year you will start paying back that money- and the will definately be on our back. So its only fair to be awarded in full what youve asked for not to be managed on the part figures as if people understand how you will manage the project.
When we kept pressuring we then got calls and emails requesting for our Names, ID and address as if they do not have that information already and in any case I just feel it was a delaying tactic due to the pressure we were giving them. In any case how is an address or ID etc so impoartnt in the progress of these funds. Its been a week since they asked for them.
My advise to all future applicants is just know whatever figure you apply to get after properly assessing your project- you will not get it. Instead you will be asked to review the figures and dictated that you will be paid in steps. One would wonder why POTRAZ feels they need to hold back the 25million dollars that was generated by the telecoms giants. We are only talking of a combined total fund of less than 300 000 for the 6 winners out of the 25millions. And yu get lectures on it. Would these guys be there to manage us when we start paying back the loan over 3 years if they disrupt how we are planning on usning the figure we initaiily appled for
Netx Im sure we will be given trade fair as an excuse for the delay in the progress of the fund
POTRAZ has its own bereaucracy for real
Yours Bhutsu dzapera