AI: The Engine Powering Zimbabwe’s Digital Future – Minister Mavetera

By Ilyana Sithole

Bulawayo – With thundering vigor, in a keynote speech read out during the Digital Economy Conference at Rainbow Hotel in Bulawayo today, Honourable Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services Tatenda A. Mavetera courageously declared Artificial Intelligence (AI) the “engine that will power Zimbabwe’s digital economy,” optimizing efficiency, driving innovation, and promoting inclusive growth.

Under the conference’s theme, “Crafting Connected Economic Futures,” Minister Mavetera stressed on the revolutionary impact of digital synergy – complementary convergence of multiple digital technologies – in shaping the economic future of Zimbabwe. She emphasized that the convergence of technology, data, and connectivity brings unprecedented prospects for growth, efficiency, and inclusiveness.

Addressing an esteemed audience that comprised the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Honourable J. Ncube, Deputy Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services, Honourable D. Phuti, and business leaders, Minister Mavetera outlined a compelling vision of how AI can revolutionize central sectors of the Zimbabwean economy.

Levelling Up with AI: National Growth
Highlighting the world AI landscape, ready to add a record-breaking $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, Minister Mavetera affirmed that young and innovative Zimbabwe is on the cusp of reaping big from the boom. She highlighted the impressive 23% year-on-year growth of the African AI market and challenged Zimbabwe to gear up in order to catch up with leaders such as Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.

The Minister Highlighted AI’s game-changing capabilities across major industries:
* Agriculture: Citing that agriculture accounts for 30% of Zimbabwe’s GDP, Minister Mavetera projected AI-assisted precision agriculture increasing or trebling yields by 10-30%. She pointed to applications such as drones scanning crop health, AI forecasting weather, and blockchain facilitating equitable pricing, as compared with India’s AI for Agriculture initiative successfully executed.
* Financial Inclusion: As 85% of Zimbabweans make use of mobile money, AI can greatly enhance fraud detection, credit scoring, and customized banking, which could reduce financial fraud by 40%, as has been achieved globally.
* Health care: Addressing Zimbabwe’s desperate shortage of physicians (1.6 per 10,000 population), Minister Mavetera mentioned AI as a way of closing the gap by using telemedicine and sophisticated diagnostic technology, citing Rwanda’s achievement of a 30% reduction in maternal mortality with AI.
* Mining: Mining, expected to grow to $12 billion in 2025, artificial intelligence-based mineral prospecting will help improve efficiency by 35% and return incredibly high value to Zimbabwe’s lithium, platinum, and gold industry.

Developing an Integrated System
The relevance of digital convergence in developing end-to-end systems that propel productivity and foster co-creation was emphasized by Minister Mavetera. She spoke of initiatives being implemented in:
* Healthcare: Health applications and telemedicine are expanding access to care and building a networked health system.
* Education: ICT-based education platforms and digital learning materials are narrowing the access gap for quality education, with the Ministry actively creating ICT labs and facilitating connectivity in schools across the country.
* Commerce: Online commerce and electronic payment systems are changing the conduct of business, making it possible for entrepreneurs to tap into world markets.

Achieving Equity, Privacy, and Inclusion
In acknowledgment that digital synergy must be inclusive, Minister Mavetera underscored the paramount importance of equity, privacy and digital inclusion. She reiterated the government’s pledge towards closing the digital divide, safeguarding personal information with robust privacy controls, and advancing the availability of digital resources and means for women, young people and persons with disabilities. The introduction of nationwide digital literacy initiatives and the Zimbabwe Digital Skills initiative, which aims at training 1.5 million programmers, are huge steps in this direction.

Government Agenda for a Digital Future
Minister Mavetera addressed the government’s ambitious agenda in the National Development Strategy’s Pillar on the Digital Economy, with major plans:
* Infrastructure Development: Investing in the expansion of high-speed internet coverage to rural and urban areas, as seen in the recent rollout of the Presidential Internet Scheme.
* Digital Literacy Programs: Launching of nation-wide programs, in the nature of women- and youth-focused programs, in a bid to confer general digital competency to its citizens.
* Regulatory Frameworks: Enacting robust policies, under which privacy and data protection are at the forefront, such as having a Data Protection Authority.
* Public-Private Partnerships: Inciting partnerships for development, such as incubation facilities and entrepreneurial spaces, focused on marginalized entrepreneurial communities in particular.
* Enabling Entrepreneurship: Developing an ecosystem for digital entrepreneurship by enabling access to finance, mentorship, and training enabled through such initiatives as the Innovation Drive Fund run by POTRAZ.

Mapping the Way Forward and Overcoming Challenges
Pointing to such underlying challenges as the skills and infrastructure shortage (with only 45% internet penetration) and the requirement to alter data privacy laws, Minister Mavetera brought down to reality solutions like broadband expansion, funding AI learning in the form of initiatives like the AI Zimbabwe Academy, and utilizing national AI standards. She further emphasized investment into the AI market, recommending establishment of a Zimbabwe AI Innovation Fund.

Minister Mavetera ended her presentation by suggesting a 5-Point AI Strategy for Zimbabwe:
* Set up an AI Task Force: Developing a National AI Policy within the year 2025.
* Upskilling the workforce: Training 10,000 AI experts within 2030.
* AI start-up development: Supporting AI creators with tax rebates.
* Constructing AI Infrastructure: Collaborating with international tech giants to deploy cloud AI hardware.
* Ethical AI Regulation: Assuring AI yields benefits to every Zimbabwean.

“Zimbabwe is open for business,” isn’t enough; instead, Minister Mavetera emphasized:

Let us say: ‘Zimbabwe is open for AI.’ The future belongs to those nations who seize AI today. Let us not merely seize AI—let us lead with it.

While delivering her final remarks, Minister Mavetera called upon all the stakeholders to participate in substance-filled discussions and work together in the collective pursuit of an integrated digital economy since she reminded them that “AI is the new electricity—just as electricity revolutionized industries 100 years ago, AI will revolutionize ours.”