By 
By Jacob Mtisi
Zimbabwe’s rapid technological advancement and growing digital economy are creating new opportunities, but they are also causing serious misery for older people, persons with disabilities and those who are technologically challenged. Who is being left behind and what is the Government doing to protect and include them?
The digital transformation of Zimbabwe’s financial services is changing how people access their money, make payments and conduct everyday transactions. Mobile money, electronic banking and digital platforms can make life more convenient. However, for someone who is elderly, visually impaired, physically disabled or unfamiliar with digital technology, what is presented as convenience to one person can become a significant barrier to another.
Imagine an elderly pensioner who has depended on face-to-face banking for most of their life. They may struggle to operate a smartphone, navigate an application, remember passwords or protect themselves from online fraud. Now imagine a person with a disability who cannot easily use a poorly designed digital platform, or someone living in a rural area without reliable connectivity. Are these citizens being given genuine alternatives or are they simply being expected to catch up with technology on their own?
A society cannot call itself inclusive when access to essential financial services depends on an individual’s ability to use technology.
The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) has an important role in the country’s telecommunications regulatory environment. This makes it reasonable to ask what measures are being implemented to ensure that digital transformation benefits all citizens, including those who face accessibility and technological barriers.
POTRAZ must be challenged to demonstrate how digital inclusion is being delivered.
Is the regulator working with banks, mobile network operators, disability organisations and older people’s associations to identify the obstacles faced by vulnerable citizens? Are financial service providers being encouraged or required to make their digital platforms accessible? What mechanisms exist for citizens who cannot use smartphones or digital applications independently?
Zimbabwe’s Universal Service Fund should be considered as one possible mechanism for supporting digital inclusion. However, its precise eligibility criteria, current funding allocations and existing programmes would need to be established before claiming that it is already being used for these specific purposes.
The Fund can potentially support initiatives such as:
Digital literacy programmes: Training older people and technologically challenged citizens to use mobile phones, digital banking and electronic payment services safely.
Accessible technology: Supporting solutions that enable persons with visual, hearing, physical or other disabilities to access digital services.
Community digital support centres: Establishing facilities where people can receive assistance with essential online services, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
Accessible communication: Promoting services that accommodate people who cannot easily read conventional text, operate touchscreens or navigate complicated applications.
Digital safety education: Helping vulnerable citizens recognise scams, protect their PINs and passwords, and avoid financial exploitation.
These are potential policy options, not a claim that the Universal Service Fund currently finances all these initiatives.
Banks must recognise their social responsibility
Financial institutions also have a responsibility to consider the needs of customers who cannot use digital platforms with ease. The transition to digital banking should not mean that customers lose access to meaningful assistance.
There must be accessible channels for people who need human support. Banks and mobile money providers should consider whether their systems are designed around the needs of their entire customer base, rather than only those who are confident smartphone users.
Technology should improve people’s lives. It should not become a barrier that forces vulnerable citizens to depend on relatives, strangers or intermediaries to access their own money.
This is particularly important because relying on another person to enter a PIN, complete a transaction or manage a financial account can create privacy and security risks.
Digital inclusion is a national responsibility
Zimbabwe’s digital transformation should be measured not only by the number of people connected to the internet or the volume of electronic transactions being processed. It should also be measured by how many citizens can participate independently, safely and with dignity.
The elderly, persons with disabilities and those who struggle with technology are not obstacles to progress. They are members of our society who deserve to benefit from the country’s technological advancement.
Government departments, POTRAZ, financial institutions, mobile network operators, disability organisations and civil society must engage in a serious national conversation about digital inclusion.
We cannot build a digital economy that leaves some citizens behind and then call it progress.
As Zimbabwe moves towards a more digital economy, what concrete measures are being taken to ensure that the elderly, persons with disabilities and the technologically challenged are not excluded from essential services?
The Universal Service Fund could be part of the answer. What is needed now is transparency, measurable action and a clear commitment to ensuring that Zimbabwe’s digital future belongs to everyone.
Engineer Jacob Kudzayi Mutisi
+263772278161
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