Level of ICT usage by businesses survey underway

THE Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat), in collaboration with the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz), has embarked on an Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) access survey to ascertain the level of ICT usage by the business sector.

The survey began on Tuesday and is expected to end on March 1.

The information obtained from the survey is key for informing decisions about the ICTs sector.

In a statement, Zimstat said: “Zimstat in collaboration with the Potraz is scheduled to undertake the 2023/24 Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Access and Use by Businesses Survey from 20 February to 1 March 2024.”

The survey will be conducted under the provisions of the Census and Statistics Act (Chapter 10:29).

Zimstat said the major objective of the survey is to determine the levels of access and use of ICTs by businesses operating in the country.
Data to be collected from the survey includes establishment background, general information on use of ICT gadgets by businesses, use of the internet by businesses, electronic commerce and expenditure on ICT equipment and services.

The ICT Access and Use by Businesses Survey will be conducted across all provinces, with the collected information treated as strictly confidential and used solely for statistical purposes, said Zimstats.

Zimstats periodically conducts various surveys in all sectors of the economy. The shift towards technology-driven solutions is on the increase in Zimbabwe as evidenced by the high uptake of ICT systems across the divide.

Day-to-day business operations, individual life and governance processes now take shape within the digital horizon.

ICTs have become a major driver of economic activity with businesses now investing more resources in modern technology development.

This has generally opened a wider window of opportunity for investment in ICT infrastructure, software and manpower development.

Added to that, it is believed that the sector will be the driver for job creation, financial inclusion, agricultural transformation, education and skills development and entrepreneurship in the pursuit of an upper middle income economy by 2030. —chronicl