Home Technology POTRAZ  challenged to establish mobile Community Information Centers for marginalized areas

POTRAZ  challenged to establish mobile Community Information Centers for marginalized areas

by Bustop TV News

THE Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe, (POTRAZ), has been challenged to start working towards establishing mobile Community Information Centers (CICs) to improve access to the internet for people living in marginalized areas.

CICs are public places where people  can access computers, the internet and other digital technologies.

According to POTRAZ, countrywide there are 146 CIC situated at post offices, 24 containerised in areas where there are no post offices and 32 still in the process of being established.

However these are still not enough for people living in the rural areas.

Speaking during the launch of the state of access and use of CICs in Zimbabwe report which was done by the Media Institute in Southern Africa (MISA), the research author Tamuka Chirimambowa said it is difficult for those who live far from the growth points to access these facilities.

“Many of these CICs only provide services to those within 5 to 10 kilometers range and for most people they are far.

“Most of them are found in areas like growth points, so maybe that is now a challenge to POTRAZ to start working around mobile CICs to make them accessible to many,” Chirimambowa said.

Chirimambowa also said these already existing CICs are short staffed, and lack enough equipment like chairs, computers, WiFi.

This comes at a time when the world has gone digital and on Wednesday the world celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD)  under the them“DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”.

This highlights how technology is crucial to advancing rights, a growing digital gender gap that is impacting everything from job opportunities for women and their safety online.

In Zimbabwe most women in the rural areas do not have access to the internet.

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