By Latwell Nyangu
HE was once celebrated as Zimbabwe’s answer to Elon Musk, leading an artificial intelligence company, developing cutting-edge technology and inspiring young people to pursue careers in software engineering.
Today, former Magara AI chief executive officer Peace Ngara spends his days selling phone chargers and USB cables in Hopely, fighting to make enough money to survive.
The man who once headed a technology company and occupied several top corporate positions says life took a dramatic turn after Magara AI closed its doors in late 2025.
Now, he says, earning just a dollar a day is a victory.
“Since February, I have been selling chargers and cables just to get a dollar a day to survive and see tomorrow,” Ngara said in an exclusive interview.
“I had to move to a community where no one knows me, and I could fit in and do what everyone does.”
Ngara’s story is one of soaring ambition, technological innovation and harsh economic realities.
Before his downfall, he was the CEO of Zim and More, Director of Annabell Robotics, Founder of the Magara Institute of Technology and Board Chairman of Magara Mining Corporation, among other roles.
His journey into technology began under tragic circumstances.
After losing his mother, Annabell Magara, who had raised him as a single parent, Ngara immersed himself in books and taught himself software engineering.
“I started writing software at the age of 13 when my mother passed away, and I am a self-taught engineer,” he said.
“I started reading books and books for over 10 years, landing my first job at 22 as a Lead Engineer leading huge teams.”
Driven by his passion for technology, he founded Magara AI, a company involved in artificial intelligence, software engineering and digital solutions.
One of the company’s notable innovations was ELANOI, a programming language built around indigenous languages such as Shona and Ndebele to promote African languages in technology.
Magara AI also gained recognition in the tech industry, earning a place among Zimbabwe’s recognised companies in the Artificial Intelligence and Web Development categories at the 2025 TechBehemoths Awards.
Beyond business, the company threw its weight behind youth empowerment programmes, particularly in marginalised communities in Matabeleland.
According to Ngara, Magara AI partnered with the Ministry of ICT in 2024 under the National Youth Programme for AI and the Zim Digital Skills initiative.
“As an AI company, we quickly jumped in to support the programme, doing corporate social responsibility by supporting students and recruiting them to join,” he said.
“We supported them financially and with opportunities and we were primarily focused on marginalised areas, especially Matabeleland.”
But behind the scenes, financial pressures were mounting.
Ngara says the company struggled to secure enough projects and sponsorships to sustain both its operations and the students it was supporting.
The situation became so difficult that Magara AI eventually shut down.
“As we sought new projects to keep it sustained, it became difficult to the point we couldn’t support some of these students, and we closed doors,” he said.
Ngara also believes the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence changed the technology landscape and contributed to shrinking opportunities in traditional software development.
“We also contributed to the downfall, as we contributed heavily to Artificial Intelligence, and opportunities for Software Development and Engineering became slimmer and slimmer as now everyone doesn’t need our services,” he said.
The irony is not lost on him.
Ngara says his company developed its own artificial intelligence model called Ellana, capable of performing tasks that once required manual software engineering.
“We created self\-sufficient systems, and we also have our own model called Ellana that does everything I could do manually,” he said.
“AI became the devil of all things though of course has automation and capabilities beyond human imagination.”
Despite his current struggles, Ngara has not given up on his dream.
He says he wants to revive Magara AI, reopen its technology centre and continue supporting young people who benefited from its digital skills programmes.
“I would like to revive Magara AI as we speak,” he said.
“I would like to reopen Magara AI centre once again, and all students who participated in this programme with the Ministry of ICT and Government of Dubai are catered for.”
For now, the former AI boss continues selling phone accessories to survive while searching for partnerships, sponsorships and employment opportunities in software engineering.
“Yes, even with work in software engineering, if anyone is willing to offer, I am happy to give them the best version of me,” he said.
From leading an AI company to selling chargers on the streets of Hopely, Ngara’s story is a stark reminder of how quickly fortunes can change, and how determination can endure even when success fades.
