9 Content The Government of Zimbabwe intends to increase innovation through promoting local content and application development. This policy is aimed at complimenting private sector efforts to bridge the digital divide and empower young Zimbabwean entrepreneurs to participate in the creation of locally relevant content and applications that will increase Zimbabwe’s web presence and build a software industry. The Government will bolster this policy by ensuring that a minimum of 30% of the ICT software and applications used by Government institutions is developed locally, in all the national languages. One of the strengths of ICTs is the way they can assist unlock distant expertise, knowledge and markets. However, this access has its limitations. Easier access to global knowledge exposes consumers in developing countries to foreign content that may undermine or overwhelm local cultural heritage and socio-economic livelihoods. Therefore there is need to support the development of local content and leverage on ICTs as conveyors of locally relevant messages and information, providing opportunities for local people to interact and communicate with each other, expressing their own ideas, knowledge, heritage and culture in their own languages. Local content should also be perceived as a driver for local job and wealth creation. It is also a potential foreign currency earning industry through the export of locally developed software and applications. 9.1 Policy Statement: Content Development a) Create a framework for cloud computing and big data. b) Facilitate and encourage the development of content that is culturally, socially, economically and religiously acceptable and pertinent. c) Promote local production of ICT products and services to ensure relevance of content in local languages and the use of appropriate technologies that meet international standards. d) Ensure that ICT training is decentralised to the lowest possible level, i.e. to farming, rural, and high density areas. e) Encourage public and private investment in ICT e-services applications development. f) Offer incentives for local software, applications development by creating a market and appropriate promotion. g) Develop a strong policy and support for patent and copyright protection. 10 ICT Sector Growth ICT Sector growth is dependent on continuously reviewing and enhancing an enabling legal, regulatory, and institutional environment to encourage sustainable competition, increase investment, innovation, stimulate service usage and affordable choice of services for consumers. A number of policies are stated below to this effect. 24