AT LEAST 35% of Zimbabwe’s population is not connected to the Internet due to various technical measures and foreign currency shortages, Econet Chief Risk Officer Leonard Bore has said.
Bore revealed the statistics while addressing delegates at the National Cyber Security Strategy Conference held in Harare.
The National Cyber Security Policy Conference is part of government’s National Security Awareness Month with stakeholders deliberating on issues around cyber security
The conference was organised by Potraz in partnership with Econet
“As a player, our expectation is obviously for us to increase our internet connectivity. And what are the policy changes that are then required for us to extend internet connectivity to those parts of the country where there is still no connectivity? At 65% it means there is 35% of our population that has no ability to connect.
“The second thing is the technical measures and these talks about infrastructure. One of the constraints that we have probably seen as a nation is access to forex to import equipment. All our equipment at the moment is imported,” he said.
Bore also said there was a need to conduct more awareness campaigns to educate the public about cyber-security.
Information Communication Technology minister, Tatenda Mavetera, said cybersecurity was affecting the country at large.
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“The impact of cyber threats can be far-reaching and also devastating. It is our collective responsibility to have a safe and secure digital environment,” she said.
Mavetera said despite the challenges, the government was putting in place measures to safeguard the country from cyber threats.
"The government of Zimbabwe recognises the threat of cyber-attacks and cybercrime. The government has responded swiftly through regulatory measures such as the enactment of the Cyber and Data Protection Act.
She said the ministry working with Potraz and International Telecommunications Union was setting up a national Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) to provide a focal point for incident reporting responses from the country.
