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The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has taken a decisive step toward safeguarding its digital and physical infrastructure with the official opening of the ITU-SADC Emergency Telecommunications and Early Warning Systems for All (EWS4All) Regional Capacity Development Workshop. The event serves as a critical intervention for an ICT sector increasingly tasked with maintaining connectivity during climate-induced disasters.
Zimbabwe’s Deputy Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services, Honourable Dingumuzi Phuti, emphasised that the workshop is a milestone in enhancing regional emergency capabilities. For Zimbabwe and its SADC peers, the primary benefit of this gathering lies in the operationalisation of the SADC Model National Emergency Telecommunications Plan (NETP).
This strategic framework, approved by SADC ICT Ministers in 2025, provides a unified blueprint for ensuring that ICT services remain robust and available when traditional infrastructure fails during floods, droughts, or cyclones.
“Let us embrace this opportunity to learn, collaborate and to strengthen our partnership in enhancing our emergency telecommunications and early warning systems”, said
A key technical benefit for the regional ICT sector is the focus on the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP). By harmonizing Early Warning Systems (EWS) across borders, telecommunication operators can ensure interoperability, allowing life-saving alerts to reach citizens regardless of their service provider or geographic location. This addresses long-standing gaps in regional preparedness, such as weak coordination mechanisms and delays in the deployment of emergency equipment.
For the local Zimbabwean ICT sector, the event underscores the nation’s growing role as a technological custodian. Through the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), the country now serves as the regional storehouse for the ITU’s emergency telecommunications equipment. Training sessions held this week for SADC National Focal Persons on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) ensure that this equipment can be deployed rapidly across the bloc.
Zimbabwe is also leading by example in domesticating the NETP. The Ministry is currently establishing a National Emergency Telecommunications Working Group (NETWG), which will provide essential oversight and foster collaboration between the Civil Protection Department and telecommunication operators.
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