08/09/2025
NetOne powering Zimbabwe’s digital renaissance
GOKWE -- A bold declaration that Zimbabwe’s march into the digital age will not exclude a single citizen was made in the remote Msala district in Gokwe last Friday, where several infrastructure projects were commissioned courtesy of NetOne’s Zimbabwe digital renaissance initiative.
NetOne, under the stewardship of its Group Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Raphael Mushanawani, stood shoulder to shoulder with Government leaders to affirm that the vision of leaving no place and no person behind is not a distant aspiration but a lived reality.
Speaking during the commissioning of projects, the guest of honour, Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services, Tatenda Mavetera, reminded the nation that digital connectivity has become as indispensable as water, roads, and electricity.
“Connectivity is no longer a privilege. It is a necessity. Through initiatives like the Digitalise Zimbabwe Expo and NetOne’s relentless expansion, ICT is being brought to every Zimbabwean household, ensuring no community is left behind,” she declared, anchoring the initiative firmly within the spirit of NDS1 and the onward journey into NDS2.
In his welcome remarks, the Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Owen “Mudha” Ncube, echoed the sentiment, applauding NetOne for weaving Msala into the national fabric of progress.
“Today, Msala is not just a village on the map. It is on the digital highway. This partnership between Government and NetOne proves that when national vision meets corporate commitment, lives are transformed and the province prospers,” he said, his words carrying the pride of a region now firmly plugged into Zimbabwe’s development agenda.
Speaking not only as a corporate leader but as a development partner, Engineer Mushanawani painted the moment with dignity and purpose.
“This development is more than infrastructure. It is about empowerment, opportunity, and dignity. NetOne does not only connect phones; we connect lives, families, and futures. From education to clean water, from digital learning to sustainable agriculture, our mission is to ensure no Zimbabwean is left behind,” he said to thunderous applause.
This was no hollow rhetoric. Under his leadership, NetOne has equipped schools with modern computers, giving rural children the same access to knowledge as those in Harare or Bulawayo. Nutritional gardens, solarised boreholes, and drip irrigation projects are reshaping villages into hubs of resilience and hope.
As Eng. Mushanawani remarked with characteristic humour, “Data bundles are important, but sadza is more important.” That balance between technology and humanity is what sets NetOne apart as a true custodian of national progress.
The simultaneous launch of the Digitalise Zimbabwe Roving ICT Expo elevated the day beyond symbolism. With its mission to train 1.5 million coders, deploy digitrucks to remote districts, expand community Wi-Fi zones, and appoint Digital Ambassadors in every province, the Expo is nothing short of a national movement, designed to democratise technology and create equal access for all.
As Minister Mavetera reminded, borrowing from African wisdom, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
From Msala to Binga, from Mutoko to Plumtree, the message was clear: NetOne is not merely building towers — it is building futures. Farmers can now track market trends in real time, students can dream bigger through global access to information, and health workers can embrace telemedicine with ease.
Eng. Mushanawani captured the essence of NetOne’s mandate: “We are not waiting for tomorrow; we are building it today, with you, for you, and because of you.”
In truth, what happened in Msala was not the launching of a base station. It was the unveiling of a national development promise. It was the living embodiment of President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa’s call that “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo.”
In NetOne’s work, the President’s vision finds practical expression — a Zimbabwe where no child is left behind, no community remains isolated, and no citizen is disconnected from opportunity.
NetOne has been recognised as a pillar of national progress, a corporate institution that has transcended business to become a partner in statecraft.
