Trust Freddy
Herald Correspondent
Technology must translate into jobs, viable businesses and efficient public services, the Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services, Hon Tatenda Mavetera, has said.
Officially opening the Zimbabwe-India Africa Tech and Entrepreneurship Summit 2026 at the Hyatt Regency Harare this morning, Minister Mavetera said the future of the IT sector would be judged by its impact on livelihoods.
The two-day summit is running under the theme “Building Africa’s Digital Economy: Innovation, Infrastructure and Investment Partnerships”.
“Technology must create productive work, strengthen businesses and improve public services,” Minister Mavetera said.
“Under the leadership of His Excellency, the President Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Vision 2030 gives this work a clear purpose. Our digital ambitions must translate into better livelihoods and wider economic participation.”
She said the latest sector figures showed resilience in usage despite a marginal drop in subscriptions.
Second-quarter 2026 figures show 17.19 million active mobile subscriptions, down 0.55 percent, while mobile data traffic grew 6.92 percent to 191.73 petabytes.
The 2025 ICT Household Survey by ZIMSTAT and POTRAZ, released in July, shows that 75.5 percent of households have internet access at home but only 11.2 percent own a computer.
Minister Mavetera outlined five priorities: affordable and dependable infrastructure, talent that moves from learning to work, sustainable enterprises, responsible AI and trust.
On infrastructure, she challenged operators and investors to extend rural access, embrace infrastructure sharing and ensure reliable power and quality of service.
“Coverage must be matched by reliable electricity, service quality and affordable access. A learner should be able to complete an online lesson, and a business should be able to process an order without interruption,” she said.
On skills, she said the Human Capacity Corridor should link training to industry needs through paid apprenticeships in software development, cyber security and data analysis, with the inclusion of women, persons with disabilities and rural youth.
She called for visible skills transfer from Indian partners so that local professionals could independently design, operate and improve systems.
On enterprise development, Minister Mavetera said the innovation showcase must connect start-ups with paying customers.
“A first commercial contract gives an emerging enterprise revenue, experience and a reference for future work,” she said.
On artificial intelligence, she said the focus should now be on implementation of the National AI Strategy 2026-2030 launched by President Mnangagwa in March, targeting practical uses in agriculture, manufacturing and public service delivery, with accountability where systems affect health and livelihoods.
She said trust requires compliance with the Cyber and Data Protection Act, staff training and clear cross-border data responsibility agreements.
Minister Mavetera said proposals for an anchor outsourcing partnership and an AI data and language studio covering English, Shona and Ndebele deserved exploration.
She urged delegates to leave with concrete actions — a recommendation, an owner and a date — and proposed a voluntary 90-day progress review by the convenors, Dr Busisa Moyo, Mr Baljinder Sharma and Mr Vuyisa Qabaka.
Postal and courier services, she said, are key to making digital trade work through payments, consumer rights and last-mile delivery.
