KATIMA MULILO – Minister Peya Mushelenga officially opened the state-of-the-art Ministry of Information and Communication Technology Zambezi regional office on Thursday, becoming the eighth of its kind to open in the country.

Speaking at the inauguration of the building, Mushelenga called on residents of Zambezi region, especially young people, to make use of the services offered at the office. 

“I encourage the public, particularly the youth, to explore services provided by this office and make maximum use of the services, so that the prevailing digital divide would be a thing of the past,” he stated.

He further reiterated the ministry is working hard to create a conducive work environment for its staff across the country. 

“It is not the infrastructure that matters but the output from it. I would, therefore, like to urge the staff… to ensure they are committed to service delivery,” implored Mushelenga.

He added that staff members of the ICT ministry should disseminate information to the public on time, and uphold the culture of responsiveness to public queries. 

He also pointed out that as part of the government decentralisation programme, the audio-visual and print media functions have been decentralised, and these will serve as the core mandate of the regional office.

Among others, services that the office will provide include: provision of videography services, availability of a public address system, access to internet services, use of digital and broadcasting platforms, as well as recording studio that allows for local artists to record music. The building was constructed at a cost of about N$20 million.