Mavetera urges Africa to back Zavazava for second ITU development mandate

Mavetera urges Africa to back Zavazava for second ITU development mandate

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Information Communication Technology Minister Tatenda Anastacia Mavetera has called on African delegates to support Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava’s re-election as Director of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), saying the role is central to the continent’s push for digital inclusion.

Mavetera made the appeal during her keynote address at the ITU Regional Development Forum for Africa 2026, held at the Cresta Sprayview Hotel in Victoria Falls.

“As we pursue this continental agenda, the leadership of the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau is not a matter of ceremony; it is a matter of mission,” Mavetera said. “We need a Director who does not just understand Africa’s needs on paper, but who carries them in his soul.”

She then explicitly asked for support for Zavazava’s second term. “Distinguished delegates, it is with the deepest respect that I stand before you today to ask for your support for Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava’s re-election,” she said.

Framing him as a continental figure rather than a national candidate, Mavetera added: “Cosmas is a son of Zimbabwe, but he has been a devoted servant of the entire developing world.”

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Mavetera told delegates that Zavazava has more than three decades of experience in telecommunications, including more than 20 years within the ITU. She credited his first term with initiatives including strengthening broadband mapping, expanding digital skills programmes across Africa, and helping steer ITU membership towards the Baku Action Plan adopted at WTDC-25 in November 2025.

The minister said African countries have a strong interest in the leadership of the ITU’s development arm, which oversees programmes targeted at vulnerable regions, including Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

In her closing appeal, she said: “I ask you, with humility and with hope: let us give Cosmas Zavazava a second mandate. Let him finish the work we have started together.” She added: “Not because he is ours, but because he is Africa’s, and Africa needs him at the helm.”

Zavazava attended the forum but did not immediately respond to the minister’s remarks, according to the report. Delegates who spoke to the publication on condition of anonymity said his term has been viewed positively, particularly for emphasising regional ownership of development programmes.

The endorsement comes as African governments intensify discussion on internet access, affordability and digital transformation, including efforts to connect the estimated 800 million Africans still offline.

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