Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata-Herald Correspondent
ZIMBABWE will soon unveil incentives to promote investment in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies including the establishment of special economic zones targeting technology-driven enterprises, Information Communication Technology (ICT), Postal and Courier Services Minister Tatenda Mavetera has said.
Speaking at the third edition of the Evolve ICT Summit held in Harare on Thursday, Minister Mavetera said the incentives were part of Government’s broader strategy to accelerate digital transformation and position Zimbabwe as a competitive player in the global digital economy.
She said Government, working with the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion was finalising measures aimed at attracting technology investors and encouraging wider adoption of AI across various sectors of the economy.
“The President guided us to say that we need to provide incentives for artificial intelligence and very soon we will be able to unpack those,” Minister Mavetera said.
“We are glad that the Ministry of Finance has availed special economic zones which are meant to make sure that we have companies that will come and invest in these areas and benefit from various incentives.”
Minister Mavetera said Government was determined to ensure that Zimbabwe became a producer of artificial intelligence technologies rather than merely a consumer of solutions developed elsewhere.
“We do not need just to be consumers but we need to be producers of our own artificial intelligence. We need localised services and national language models that speak to our own context as Zimbabwe,” she said.
Minister Mavetera said the country was at an advanced stage of developing AI governance frameworks including ethics and regulatory guidelines that reflect Zimbabwe’s values and developmental aspirations.
She said Government will begin training public servants in artificial intelligence as part of efforts to drive adoption of emerging technologies within the public sector.
