Online Reporter
Senior Reporter
DIGITAL skills training will soon become mandatory for all civil servants as the Government moves to equip at least 10 000 employees each year with Artificial Intelligence and cybersecurity skills under a national digital transformation programme.
The programme, under the Science, Technology, Digitalisation, Innovation and Human Capital Development cluster, is one of the main proposed priorities at the 2026 Budget Pre-Seminar underway in Bulawayo.
In his 2026 Pre-Budget Seminar presentation, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said the Government was creating a robust framework that promotes human capital development, especially in the public sector.
Zimbabwe has, over the years, been actively developing digital skills through major Government-led initiatives and multi-stakeholder partnerships.
One of the key programmes is the national initiative to train 1.5 million coders by 2028 in essential tech skills like AI, data science, and programming.
Government has also implemented the National ICT Policy (2022–2027) and the SMART Zimbabwe 2030 Master Plan, which prioritize capacity building and skills upgrades in ICTs to transform the country into a knowledge-based, middle-income society.
Prof Ncube said there was a huge gap between academia and industry, hence the need to introduce the programme.
“Digital skills certification initiatives such as Microsoft, Google and cybersecurity will be mandatory, targeting 10 000 civil servants annually,” he said.
“Government recognises the critical need to address the persistent disconnect between academia and industry.
“In that regard, priority will be on the establishment of formal mechanisms to facilitate structured collaboration between academic institutions and the private sector.”
He also said Government will continue to strengthen intellectual property frameworks to support research and development initiatives.
“To protect and commercialise local innovations, Government will continue to strengthen intellectual property frameworks within academic and research institutions,” Professor Ncube added.
“Outlays will seek to support research and development initiatives. A robust Public Sector Human Capital Development Policy will be developed, incorporating a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) framework.”
Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions president, Mr David Dzatsunga, welcomed the move and said it will benefit a number of civil servants.
“The move is commendable since the world we are living in requires one to be techno-savvy,” he said.
“Most workers did not have the chance of getting these skills, so this will better the lives of civil servants as well as enhance services being offered by Government.”
