Building Resilience in Humanitarian Organisations in Zimbabwe: The significance of Information and Communication Technology in Disaster Response

Abstract

The study aimed to assess the significance of Information and Communication Technology in enhancing supply chain resilience and improve disaster response in humanitarian organisations in Zimbabwe. The population for this study comprised 160 individuals who were purposively selected from the humanitarian organisations that operated in Manicaland, Zimbabwe, where Cyclone Idai took place in 2019. The Yamane formula was used to calculate the sample size of 114 respondents in the study. Structured questionnaires were used as research instruments in the study. The study revealed that Information and Communication Technology was important in humanitarian organisations as it helps to build resilience and improve disaster response. The study recommended the formulation of clear policies and guidelines that could govern the use of ICT in disaster response, ensuring that data security, privacy protection, and the interoperability among different organisations and agencies. The study also recommended the development of partnerships between humanitarian organisations, the government agencies, and the private sector entities to jointly invest in and leverage ICT solutions for the 
disaster preparedness and the response by implementing a centralised platform that integrates all the relevant stakeholders and the data sources to ensure seamless communication and information sharing during the disaster response operations.