Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai has called for the enhanced usage of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) platforms as he has said that technology plays a critical role in interlinking the country’s economic sectors.

“ICTs play the critical role of interlinking the different sectors of the economy, linking the vast continents and connecting people worldwide for business, social or research purposes,” he said when he officially opened the E-Tech Africa Conference in Harare on Thursday.

He said the Zimbabwe government has “adopted a policy to make ICTs the central hub to connect the Medium Term Plan, the Millennium Development Goals and other programmes that bring social change to the people of Zimbabwe”.

The medium term plan is an economic blueprint expected to propel Zimbabwe’s economic growth over the next few years.

The E-Tech Africa Conference, said officials, is set to become an annual conference and exhibition drawing ICT participants from across the African continent. This year, it has ran under the theme "Exploiting the potential of ICTs for sustainable socio and economic transformation".

“Many people, more than ever before, are now exposed to ICTs one way or the other, buying goods and services online, sending messages across the globe or sending emails to business counterparts worldwide,” said Tsvangirai.

He said the computerisation programme that the Zimbabwean government, through the ICT Minister, is rolling out, will ensure visibility of ICTs to marginalised communities. The program will also connect marginalised communities “with the rest of the world” at a click.

“The programme has since incorporated e-learning software where the computers are now used as effective learning tools.”

He also said the recently introduced community information centres will serve as one stop ICTs access points.