Taurai Mangudhla
HARARE – Government will merge more parastatals with a view to streamline operations and improve efficiencies, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said this afternoon at the official opening of the Postal and Telecommunications Regulation Authority’s $22 million double storey head office in Mount Pleasant.
This comes after Government recently merged broadcasting industry regulator Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe with Potraz and amid concerns some duties are being duplicated, leading to unnecessary recurrent expenditure and leakages.
Concerns have been also raised around multiplicity of licences and regulators, delaying registration and statutory supervision processes weighing down the country’s performance on the global ease of doing business rankings.
The building, President Mnangagwa said, is a fruit of a pro-economic development thrust under infrastructure development and an indicator of the priority and support Government gives to postal and telecoms industry.
ICT and Cyber Security Minister Supa Mandiwanzira said the building had been under construction since 2013 but 40% of works were completed from November 2017 when President Mnangagwa came into office.
The building is 95% complete with elevators and audio-visual equipment for the conference area yet to be installed due to foreign currency delays, Potraz Director general Dr Gift Machengete said.
