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The Ministry of Industry led by Minister Dr Sekai Nzenza has released a communique encouraging members of the public to apply for import and export licenses via their E-portal.With regards to online protection, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) launched guidelines to protect children from manipulation and abuse online.
Potraz had given guidelines on the use of information-and-Communications-Technology to all ministries and also urged companies to adopt technology-driven solutions to curb vandalism and theft of critical infrastructure, which has seen many entities losing a lot of resources replacing vandalised infrastructure.
Experts in technology say the use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) and alarm systems that are linked to a command centre installed is an advantage because all systems are now on mobile networks and they are real-time as they can be accessed from a simple mobile device.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce, released a press statement saying the adoption of digital service initiative dovetails with its thrust under the National Development Strategy 1, which is to promote ease of doing business.
“The Ministry of Industry and Commerce would like to encourage members of the public to take advantage of the new digital technology to apply for their import and export licences via our e-portal in the comfort of their homes or offices,” saidrhe communique.
“This is in line with the ministry’s thrust and the National Development Strategy 1 to promote ease of doing business and minimise overcrowding and personal interface with clients seeking to access services.”
The country is making strides towards ensuring that its citizens enjoy the benefits of digital economic transformation to alleviate the transacting challenges associated with people who still prefer manual business processes as evidenced by continued long queues at banking halls and utility service provider’s offices.
The ministry said accessing services using online platforms is one of the ways to fight corruption and unethical conducts.
“The ministry has zero tolerance to corruption and one way to deal with such unethical conduct is to access services online with less personal contact,” it said.
While growth of digital business is ideal, it does come with some negatives, such as cyber-crime. Zimbabwe is already working on enhancing its information communication technology (ICT) laws and regulations to meet growing need for online monitoring.
The National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) will ensure import, export licensing goes online with the application of import and export licences also being conducted online in line with the Government’s digital economy transformation and promotion of the ease of doing business.
This move is expected to enhance service efficiency and transparency by reducing manual related bottlenecks, thereby, buttressing the country’s fight against corruption.
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