Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve [email protected]
ZIMBABWE is building a living blueprint for Africa’s digital transformation, offering homegrown solutions rather than waiting for imported fixes, the Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services Tatenda Mavetera has said.
Minister Mavetera said this at the official opening of the 2026 International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Regional Development Forum for Africa in Victoria Falls, outlining a vision where African nations own their digital destiny.
“Africa’s solutions will not be imported; they must be home-grown. In Zimbabwe, we have chosen not to wait,” she told delegates from across the continent.
She highlighted several significant strides Zimbabwe has made under the theme: Universal, meaningful and affordable connectivity for an inclusive and sustainable digital future.
Through the Presidential Internet Scheme, Zimbabwe is connecting approximately 8,000 primary and secondary schools via satellite technology, ensuring no child in a rural classroom is left behind.
“This is what a whole-of-government approach to meaningful connectivity looks like,” Minister Mavetera said.
She said Government is mobilising over US$200 million to launch its own communications satellite.
“This is not about prestige; it is about sovereignty and ensuring that every Zimbabwean has access to affordable, reliable connectivity on our terms,” she said.
Zimbabwe has also launched the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2026–2030), anchored by an AI Acceleration Centre, as Africa must be a creator of intelligent technologies, not just a market.
She said a harmonised National Data Centre is being consolidated with data being protected as a national asset.
Minister Mavetera proposed five pillars for Africa’s digital conversation which include universal access, affordability, digital skills, locally relevant content, and digital sovereignty.
Furthermore, she said Zimbabwe offers an illustrative case study of a country that has aligned its National Development Strategies with the ITU’s global and regional frameworks through National Development Strategy 2 (2026–2030).
