Minister blames sanctions for lack of ICT development in Zim.

The minister of Information technology in Zimbabwe has laid the blame on western countries for imposing sanctions on the country. He said their is the major reason why Zimbabwe is lagging behind in terms of development in ICT. The minister said the sanctions have made it difficult for the country to have access to foreign currency which is essential in procuring ICT equipment.

The minister Kazembe Kazembe, said the country desperately needs foreign currency to get infrastructure. He stated,” To deploy that infrastructure we need foreign currency. As long as we have these sanctions in place, there is no way we can earn the required Dorian currency”. The minister said most lines of credit have since been closed owing to the sanctions.

He said most of the equipment is imported or companies like Huawei and ZTE but they do need assistance from international financiers. This has not been the case as invest have not been forthcoming even after the pronouncement by the president that Zimbabwe is now open for business.

The country certainly needs to embrace new infrastructure such as base stations for mobile companies. Government has crying foul over sanctions and at the recent anti sanctions gala that was held in Harare, the same tune was sung. Most people have, however said this is not the case. It is simply a matter of gross mismanagement and corruption that is crippling development in the country. The said foreign currency is being pocketed by a few individuals who are controlling the black market.