POTRAZ Donates Laptops at the Girls in ICT Celebrations

POTRAZ donates laptops to outstanding female students during the national Girls in ICT celebrations as part of efforts to encourage more girls to pursue careers in technology and innovation.

Speaking at the commemorations, Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services Hon. Tatenda Mavetera said empowering girls with digital tools and skills was critical in preparing Zimbabwe’s young women for opportunities in the fast-growing global digital economy.

The minister awarded laptops to competition winners and high-performing participants in a move aimed at motivating girls to enter fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, software engineering and data science.

“Girls, do not just survive this digital age, thrive in it,” Mavetera said, urging young women to embrace technology and innovation with confidence.

The laptop donations were made in partnership with the Forum for African Women Educationalists Zimbabwe (FAWEZI) and the Mastercard Foundation, which recently supported the distribution of laptops to nearly 200 students, with priority given to girls.

Mavetera said access to digital devices was no longer a luxury but a necessity in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

She said the government was implementing several programs to equip young Zimbabweans with future-ready skills, including the 1.5 Million Coders Program and the Digital Skills Ambassadors Program, both designed to expand coding, programming and digital literacy across the country.

Mavetera said the initiatives were intended to ensure innovation opportunities were no longer limited to global technology hubs, but could also emerge from cities such as Bulawayo, Gweru and Mutare.

She encouraged girls to use technology to solve local challenges in health, agriculture, climate change, education and financial inclusion, while also creating businesses capable of competing internationally.

“Zimbabwe needs female software developers. Zimbabwe needs female cybersecurity experts. Zimbabwe needs female data scientists,” Mavetera said.

The Girls in ICT celebrations brought together students, mentors, exhibitors and technology stakeholders to promote digital inclusion and increase female participation in science and technology sectors traditionally dominated by men.

Increasing women’s participation in ICT is key to achieving Zimbabwe’s broader digital transformation agenda and building an innovation-driven economy.