By 
By Ross Moyo
Zimbabwe’s giant State Owned Telcos NetOne Pvt ltd Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Engineer Raphael Mushanawani has scooped the prestigious Business Leader of the Year 2025 by Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC).
The following are excerpts from the Sunday Mail and Sunday News Interview with Zimbabwe’s top achiever, NetOne Group CEO Engineer Raphael Mushanawani;
This award is not mine alone — it belongs to the people of Zimbabwe. It’s an honour affirming NetOne’s role as the digital heartbeat of the nation. It confirms our unchallenged lead role in championing smart technologies and enhanced broadband services in this country. The award is a call for NetOne to accelerate connecting the unconnected, and to walk in step with the vision of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, to “Leave No One and No place Behind” in our digital transformation mandate. The award also emphasisesNetOne’s compliance with the tenets of the National Development Strategy (NDS)1as far as rapid digital transformation of our society is concerned. The award is instructive that as we advance towards NDS 2, NetOne must have a double-fold growth in all its deliverables. This way, we are ready to play our strategic role in ensuring that we claim our share to the palatable future of prosperity which awaits Zimbabwe by 2030.
I will repeat, this is not about me. No! It is about the institution, it’s about the entire team keeping the institutional vision alive and nurturing innovation expected of us as the country’s pioneering telecommunications giant driving sustainable and inclusive digital solutions. Team NetOne is committed to aligning vision with execution.
At NetOne, we are not chasing profit alone; we are driving purpose. We are positioning technology as the equalizer — bridging the digital divide, empowering the farmer in Tsholotsho, the student in Mutoko, and the entrepreneur in Mbare with the same tools as their counterparts in Harare or New York. That is the spirit of inclusivity, and that is why this recognition resonates so deeply. We understand that internet is the fuel for digital financial inclusivity, it is the bloodline for broadband and broadcast convergence. We know that data is a catalyst for growing a modern economy.
As a result, we are correctly tailor-making our services to sufficiently meet the daily e-needs and telecoms essentials of each NetOne service consumer. This is why our network is in every inch of the country. As a result, this makes it extremely difficult for us not to be the most preferred service provider in Zimbabwe.
3. How have you managed to reposition NetOne for growth in such a cutthroat telecommunications market?
We refused to compete on price alone — we chose to compete on delivering solutions and effectively increasing our impact. By modernizing our network, introducing AI-driven efficiencies, and expanding coverage to erstwhile marginalized areas, we have repositioned NetOne as a trusted telecoms service provider for all Zimbabweans. However, weare more than a telecoms operator; we are the engine room of digital innovative transformation driving platforms in mobile money, digital health, education, e-commerce and e-governance. Our reliable presence in the daily digital needs of services users in a fast evolving and technologically fluid world makes NetOne to struggle to have competitors in the local telecoms space. However, we are nowhere near any comfort-zone.
For us each day is an opportunity to innovate and deliver fresh packages of excellence to everyone using our network. I am compelled to say we are even thinking of expanding the NetOne services catalogue beyond the borders. Perhaps out there we may find competition which may help position our brand to be a continental telecommunication giant in the near future.
4. How is NetOne specifically using AI and machine learning to improve efficiencies?
AI is no longer futuristic for NetOne — it is a present reality. We are deploying AI to predict maintenance before faults happen, to optimize network traffic in real time, and to tailor customer solutions. The result is reduced downtime, smarter operations, and happier customers. This is how we guarantee reliability — and reliability is the perennial currency in telecoms.
5. In your view, how can Zimbabwe leverage AI and other emerging technologies to leapfrog economic growth?
Emerging technologies are Zimbabwe’s passport to leapfrogging decades of underdevelopment. Imagine AI-powered precision agriculture boosting yields for smallholder farmers, telemedicine bridging rural health gaps, and e-learning platforms delivering world-class education to every child, regardless of location. With bold policy, visionary leadership, and partnerships with innovators like NetOne, Zimbabwe can leap into the future without waiting to catch up. Zimbabwe surpassed the USD 23 billion mining sector economy target in 2023, imagine what more we could do when we innovate towards e-mining? Just imagine! This is the path which NetOne is determined to walk in delivering Vision2030 before 2030.
Currently African diaspora remittance is estimated over USD 95 billion annually, surpassing foreign aid and Foreign Direct Investment. We have identified this opportunity and we are advancing innovations to globalise our mobile money platforms and introducing fresher e-wallet innovations whichmeet international competitiveness. So you must be ready to experience this financial inclusivity innovation before the coming year ends.
6. How do you situate NetOne in Zimbabwe’s current economic growth trajectory?
NetOne is the invisible hand powering this digital economy. Every mobile transaction, every remote classroom, every connected health facility, every modern farm — they all carry the footprint of NetOne. We are not spectators in Zimbabwe’s growth story; we are co-authors, ensuring that growth is digital, inclusive, and sustainable.
7. With NDS2 now on the horizon, what do you envision to be NetOne’s role in the country’s broader economic aspirations?
As we transition from NDS1 to NDS2, NetOne’s role will be to amplify digital inclusivity at scale. We will ensure that no sector — be it agriculture, mining, manufacturing, education, or healthcare — is left behind. We are the bridge between rural and urban, between yesterday and tomorrow. Our mandate is national, our vision is continental, and our determination is to ensure Zimbabwe thrives in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
8. ESG issues have become important in corporate governance. How has NetOne been able to advance ESG?
At NetOne, ESG is not a slogan — it is embedded in our DNA. We are greening our operations through solarized base stations, empowering communities with nutritional gardens and ICT labs, and driving digital literacy programs for the youth. We are putting sustainability into practice, governance into action, and inclusivity into reality. This is how we future-proof NetOne while making a meaningful impact in the lives of Zimbabweans.
9. Mr CEO should we expect more awards in the future?
You must expect top-notch service from NetOne and not just us receiving recognition like we did with the recent Zim Achievers accolade. Our best award is receiving maximum clientele satisfaction feedback. We have been serving the nation and once again, we are more than delighted to serve again. For me service, is what matters most than being recognised for doing what you are mandated to do. Simply!
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