By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
BULAWAYO – Even as Zimbabwe pushes for universal digital access, a quieter and more insidious gap remains: girls are getting online later than boys, using the internet less frequently, and facing tighter restrictions from their own parents.
That was the sobering reality laid out by POTRAZ Director General Dr. Gift Machengete in a speech read on his behalf by Deputy Director General Mr Alfred Marisa at the International Girls in ICT Day commemoration at NUST on 15 May 2026.
Citing recent findings by UN Women, Dr. Machengete told the audience that women and girls across the world continue to use the internet less than their male counterparts.
But he went further, highlighting studies showing that girls access digital technology at a later age than boys, and that parents and guardians are more likely to restrict their daughters’ technology use than their sons’.
“These inequalities not only limit opportunities for girls today,” he warned, “but also risk excluding them from the industries and innovations that will define the future.”
The reasons, he suggested, are a combination of deeply rooted stereotypes, unequal access to digital tools, limited educational opportunities, and legitimate but unevenly applied safety concerns.
A parent in the audience, who asked to remain anonymous, conceded the point.
“I worry more about my daughter meeting strangers online than my son,” she said. “But I had not thought about how that puts her behind in skills.”
Dr. Machengete was careful not to blame parents for protecting their children. Instead, he framed the issue as a collective responsibility for government, regulators, schools, and families to solve together. Initiatives like Girls in ICT Day, he said, are not mere commemorations but “deliberate interventions meant to inspire, empower and open doors.”
The Director General stressed that increased digital access must go hand in hand with increased digital protection.
The goal, he said, is not simply to connect children to the internet, but to equip them with the knowledge, values, and safeguards to navigate it safely.
For the 1500 girls in the room – many of whom dream of careers in coding, engineering, or data science – the message was clear: the digital divide is not just about poverty or infrastructure.
It is also about perception, permission, and protection. And closing it will require changing minds, not just installing cables.
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