An Assessment of ICT Adoption Levels in ZESA Holdings

Abstract

This study assessed ICT adoption levels at ZESA Holdings, Zimbabwe's state-owned electricity utility, examining barriers constraining adoption, impacts on organisational performance, and strategies for enhancement. Employing a convergent parallel mixed methods design, the research collected quantitative data through questionnaires administered to 370 employees selected via stratified random sampling, and qualitative data through semi-structured interviews with 10 key informants selected purposively. The findings revealed bifurcated adoption characterised by widespread access to foundational digital infrastructure including desktop computers (93.0%), email systems (88.9%) and internet connectivity (84.3%), but limited deployment of advanced enterprise and operational systems such as ERP (50.5%), SCADA (26.5%) and AMI (14.1%). System integration remained predominantly low, with 60.6% of respondents rating integration as inadequate. Multiple interconnected barriers constrained adoption, including insufficient financial resources (mean severity 4.47 on 5-point scale), outdated infrastructure (4.39), power supply unreliability (4.31) and limited training provision (4.18). Regression analysis confirmed statistically significant positive relationships between ICT adoption and operational efficiency, revenue collection and service delivery (p<.001), though effect sizes were moderate and variance explained limited. Administrative functions demonstrated stronger improvements than operational domains, reflecting differential system availability and implementation completeness. The study proposes a comprehensive ICT Adoption Enhancement Framework encompassing strategic direction, governance mechanisms, implementation initiatives across infrastructure-systems-people dimensions, and continuous feedback loops. Recommendations emphasise increased budget allocation, comprehensive training programmes, infrastructure reliability improvements, strengthened management commitment and enhanced stakeholder engagement as prerequisites for sustainable digital transformation in resource-constrained utility contexts.