Tinashe Nekati
STAFF WRITER
MUTAPA Energy Resources and NetOne donated 62 laptops and desktop computers to 10 schools in Mberengwa on Thursday to speed up digital learning in rural communities.
The beneficiaries are Chegato High School, Maringambizi and Chebvute secondary schools, and Sandawana, Chavengwa, Chizungu, Chingechuru, Mutsime, Ruvabvu and Guruva primary schools. The donation forms part of Mutapa’s corporate social responsibility programme around the Sandawana Mine, which is under development.
The mine project is expected to create thousands of jobs and transform Mberengwa District. Under the government’s digitalisation drive, Zimbabwe aims to become an upper middle-income society by 2030.
Mutapa chief executive Innocent Rukweza told the inaugural Digitalise Zimbabwe ICT Schools Fair for Mberengwa District, held at Maringambizi Secondary School, that no child should be left behind in the digital era.
“Every child deserves an opportunity to have access to a computer,” Rukweza said.
“There should not be a gap between those who are in towns and those from Mberengwa in the Sandawana area.”
He wants schools near the mine to stand out.
“I told the headmaster of this hosting school that we need to ensure schools within the vicinity of Sandawana Mine are known, feared and revered when it comes to the education system,” Rukweza said.
Rukweza challenged NetOne, TelOne, ZETDC and Econet to make the expo an annual event with competitions showcasing programmes learners build on the donated computers. He said access to electricity was critical to enable digitalisation.
NetOne acting group chief executive Christopher Muchechemera, in a speech read by e-government business and special projects manager Nancy Murove, linked the initiative to national targets.
“This initiative is particularly significant as it directly contributes to the attainment of Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030, which seeks to transform our country into an empowered and prosperous upper-middle-income society,” he said.
“Achieving this vision requires investment in human capital development, technological advancement, innovation and the expansion of digital infrastructure to ensure that no community is left behind.”
NetOne will provide connectivity and technical support under a tripartite agreement.
“At NetOne, we believe that a learner’s geographical location should never determine their access to digital opportunities,” Muchechemera said.
