News

Zimbabwe wants to reach rural residents via kiosks

January 6, 2004

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Officials of Zimbabwe's Department of Information and Publicity in the Office of the President will soon start consulting chiefs throughout the country on how to implement an information kiosk and mobile video program to provide information and news to the country's rural residents.

According to a report on AllAfrica.com, George Charamba, permanent secretary for Information and Publicity, is on a nationwide tour to assess the provinces on the state of their preparedness for the launch of the program, which will be launched as soon as eight vans are acquired and outfitted with kiosks.

"Thorough consultations with traditional leaders and other stakeholders would have to be made for the program to succeed," Charamba said. "This should be a community-driven program. It should not be imposed on the people."

Charamba said the kiosks will help rural residents participate in national discourse.

"We want to ensure that rural people have information as their urban counterparts. We have narrowed the gap and there are packages rural people need as a means of survival such as the land reform program," he said.