Staff Writer
Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe Director General Dr Gift Machengete says Government has decided to use ICTs to boost Zimbabwe’s agro-based economy.
Speaking at the handover of e-Agriculture equipment to Minister of Agriculture by ICT, Postal and Courier Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere, Dr Machengete said ICTs will reduce costs and improve productivity.
“ICTs will even improve life expectancy of the average farm worker through the elimination of manual labour.
“Zimbabwe is naturally an agro-based economy and at one time we were the breadbasket of Africa. To accelerate our transition back to those glory days, Government has decided to use the only reliable and certain catalyst there is and that is ICTs,” Dr Machengete said.
He said the handover of e-Agriculture equipment was a demonstration of cohesion, a demonstration of collaboration, breaking the silos and having all ministries work to complement each other rather than compete with one another.
“ Today is about the coming together of two sectors, two fields, two systems for the common good of our nation.
“Today we juxtapose and fuse two things that we cannot live without as a people – Agriculture
and ICTs,” he said.
Dr Machengete said Zimbabweans were natural farmers and farming was trending everywhere across the country.
“All of us here practice some sort of farming in our rural homes. Some of us have small holder plots. Some have commercial farms. Whatever it is and wherever we are, we are all farmers in one way or the other. Farming is in our DNA.
“Agriculture defines us as Zimbabweans, it is part of our identity – it is who we are.”
About Author
