Norman Dururu
GWERU – The Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services is targeting universal access to television and radio services across the country by the end of 2028 as Government intensifies efforts to bridge the digital divide and ensure that no community is left behind.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ministry’s 2027 strategic planning review workshop in Gweru, Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana said the country had entered an accelerated phase of its digitalisation programme following years of slow progress.
“For the first time in about six years, we are now on an accelerated phase of the digitalisation project,” he said.
Mangwana said five new transmitters will be installed by the end of this year, with a further 10 expected to be rolled out in 2027.
“Our strategy for 2027 is to install another 10 transmitters and move our current television coverage to 56 percent by the end of 2027,” he said.
He said the ministry was targeting complete television coverage by the end of 2028, while national radio coverage was expected to reach 85 percent by the end of this year.
Radio coverage is projected to increase to 90 percent in the first quarter of 2027 and, hopefully, reach 95 percent by the end of that year.
“By the end of 2028, everything being equal, every grain of sand and every blade of grass in Zimbabwe will have radio coverage,” Mangwana said.
He said achieving the targets would fulfil Government’s commitment to ensuring universal access to information.
“Meaning that the mantra of leaving no one and no place behind, as far as this ministry is concerned, should be completed by 2028, and we will have universal access to information in this country by then,” he said.
Mangwana said inadequate funding had been one of the major obstacles to the programme, but Government had since ring-fenced resources to support its implementation. The ministry would also mobilise additional resources from alternative sources to complement Government funding.
Meanwhile, Mangwana described the ministry’s CAB3 information campaign as one of its major achievements in 2026.
“We coined it CAB3, this ministry, and we made sure that the brand goes, and I think we did a very good job,” he said.
Addressing mobility challenges affecting the ministry’s officers, particularly their ability to reach communities in rural districts, Mangwana said Government had begun addressing the problem through a phased procurement of vehicles.
“You will start seeing some officers getting vehicles starting from next week, because we have a phased procurement of motor vehicles, and we’ve procured quite a few,” he said.
He explained that although some vehicles had already been delivered, procurement and distribution were being carried out progressively due to staggered funding arrangements.
Mangwana said the ministry expected another batch of vehicles to be delivered in 2027, adding that improved mobility was critical to strengthening communication and ensuring effective engagement with communities in remote areas.
“We need to be able to visit different parts of districts and different parts of the province, and we can only do that if we can travel there,” he said.
