Graph 1: CIC Visited by Province The survey was conducted in all the provinces except Mashonaland Central. Mucheke in Masvingo Province, had the majority of respondents per CIC with 37 respondents followed by Chikato in the same province with 35 respondents. In Manicaland, Checheche, had the highest number of respondents with 20 while Chibuwe had 12 participants. For the metropolitan provinces, Bulawayo had Mpopoma with the third largest number of respondents while Harare had respondents from CICs in Zengeza, Chitungwiza. In the Midlands, only one respondent was recorded at Gweru Old Post Office. 2.0 THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY BASED INFORMATION CENTRES IN DEVELOPMENT Access to information is important as it is a driving force of modern society in developmental projects for the development of both individuals and communities. It is also a fundamental right protected internationally by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and locally by Section 62 of the Zimbabwean Constitution. In Zimbabwe, the right is also enforceable through the Freedom of Information Act which was gazetted in July 2020 to repeal the Access to Information and Protection 1 of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and to also give effect to the right to access to information as provided for by the Constitution1. The exercise of this right is fundamental to a functional democracy. Independently verifiable information increases transparency, enables accountability, builds citizen capacity and helps fight misinformation. Importantly, as MISA points out, access to information allows citizens to “exercise other crucial rights such as the right to vote, the right to a clean and healthy environment and the right to make informed choices”2. However, the state of access to information is not the same across communities. Some people, particularly those living in affluent urban centres, can choose from abundant sources of information. In contrast, people who live in poor communities are frequently denied access to the information that they need to improve their lives3. CICs are therefore an intervention to address the gaps by providing digital technologies and access to the internet as aforementioned. According to Hurbert (2006), the purpose of having CICs in rural communities is to enable them to access relevant information and access to means of communication4. The CICs offer a kind of enforced passage point for the objective of reform programmes and the latest trends in the international development agenda, for instance, bridging the digital divide as well as achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)5. Media Institute for Southern Africa Zimbabwe (MISA). October 20, 2021. Unpacking the Freedom of Information Regulations Zimbabwe. 2 MISA, Access to information. Available at: https://misa.org/issues-we-address/access-to-information/ 3 S. Ndide. (2014), The Role of Community Based Information Centres in Development: Lessons for Rural Zimbabwe, Vol 4, No 19. 4 Hurbert (2006) 5 M. Mushunje, (2020) Customer Perceptions of Community Information Centres in Zimbabwe. PhD Thesis, University of Pretoria, p. 30. 2 MISA Zimbabwe • The State of Access and Use of Community Information Centres (CICs) in Zimbabwe