THE Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (Potraz) has pledged to capacitate local online content creators to curb dissemination and consumption of harmful information on the internet.

The telecommunications regulatory company said it is promoting production of online content through its various information centres.

The online content will be produced in local languages to promote its accessibility to various ethnicities in the country.

Speaking at a workshop attended by members of the Zimbabwe Online Content Creators (Zocc) in Kadoma on Friday, Potraz director-general Gift Machengete said this was essential to promote inclusivity of Internet usage. 

“We are all gathered here to see how best we can leverage on the artistic prowess of content creators to create and disseminate local content which benefits our communities, content which contributes meaningfully to national development starting with the grassroots,” Machengete said.

“We also want content, which promotes government’s devolution agenda, content which creates employment and contributes to the digital economy. 

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“We are all gathered here to strategise on how best we can convert community information centres into hubs for such progressive local content. “

Information and Communication Technologies minister Jenfan Muswere urged content creators to be cognisant of the Cyber and Data Protection Act to promote professionalism in publishing information online. 

“Such deliberations on how best we can produce positive content are very important,” Muswere said. 

“Now anyone can publish anything they want.  So the Cyber and Data Protection Act is there to guard against the publishing of falsehoods, fictitious and unethical news.

“This will promote safe utilisation and access to information technologies.”

Meanwhile, Transport and Infrastructural Development minister Felix Mhona on Friday scooped the strategy, innovation and leadership excellence award conferred by the Zimbabwe Institute of Strategic Thinking (ZIST) in Harare. 

“This is not a personal award for him but a national recognition of the good work that he is doing in the Second Republic under the able leadership of President Emmerson Mnangagwa,” Zimbabwe National Roads Administration  chief executive officer Nkosinathi Ncube said.

The award was in recognition of Mhona’s performance in the development of the country’s road infrastructure.