Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve, Victoria Falls Bureau
Government has urged Zimbabweans to position themselves as active contributors to the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution as innovators and producers of transformative technologies.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 57th Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum underway in Victoria Falls, Information Communication Technology (ICT), Postal and Courier Services Minister Tatenda Mavetera, outlined the country’s growing commitment to adopting, regulating and advancing AI technologies.
“We are happy as the Ministry of ICT Postal and Courier Services to be invited to this very important conversation on AI. It is upon us, and we utilise it every single day,” she said.
Minister Mavetera said what is important is for the country to come up with the requisite regulation and policies which speak into what it needs to do.
“So far, we have managed to come up with an AI framework which is a guiding document of how we are going to come up with our strategy. This framework will be complemented by an AI Readiness Assessment Report compiled in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and UNESCO, “ she said.
Minister Matevera said Government is working on a national AI policy that is inclusive and context-specific. She said the policy has to reflect Zimbabwe’s cultural norms, ethics and national interests.
Minister Mavetera emphasised the importance of nurturing local talent, calling for investment in digital skills development, innovation and infrastructure to create an environment where Zimbabweans can build home-grown AI solutions.
“We also need to be not only consumers, but also producers of AI applications or anything around it. It is important for us as a country to work towards this and develop our own young people, develop talent,” she said.
Minister Mavetera said Zimbabwe is ready to embrace the AI era with the same ambition it has shown in courting investment.
“We believe we are in the midst of an AI revolution. Just as we say ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’and we now say ‘Zimbabwe is open for AI. As a country, we need to work on our national data centres, working on even having our HPC and having the requisite computing capacity to be able to have AI operations,” she said.
“We also need to work on the financing model. It is important for us to work towards this. Furthermore, we should be able to upskill, re-skill, and scale up our workforce in the private and in the public sector because if we are not going to adopt AI, we are going to catch a cold as a country.”
The session is being held under the theme: “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Effective and Efficient Parliamentary Processes in the SADC Region: Experiences, Challenges and Opportunities”.
