Zimbabwe’s coalition government has approved a Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) Internet connectivity project valued at $385 000 for the Grain Marketing Board.

Charles Chikaura, GMB board chairman said, “most of the parastatal’s depots throughout the country are yet to be connected but plans to roll out Internet connectivity are underway.”

He added, “The State Procurement Board has approved a tender worth $385 000 for the connectivity through VSAT of more depots.”

Matthew Masuku, an ICT consultant said, “GMB needs vibrant information storing systems as well as a reliable and fast communication system which can be done through internet and wide network connections.”

GMB buys grain from farmers in Zimbabwe and avails farming input, however recent reports show that the state parastatal has been dogged by allegations of late payments for farmers.

Chikaura said “26 depots are networked and have both local area network (LAN) and wide area network (WAN) connectivity, while other depots will be connected through VSAT by the end of the year.”