Story by Abigirl Tembo
ZIMBABWE has stepped onto one of the world’s emerging technology platforms after participating at the Digital Industry of Industrial Russia Conference, where global leaders are discussing the future of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Industrial digitalisation and Smart economies.
The conference comes at a time when digital economies are becoming major drivers of global growth, with Russia revealing that the information technology sector has doubled its contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product over the last six years.
The forum has brought together technology companies, investors, policy makers and innovation specialists from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, with discussions focusing on artificial intelligence, cloud technologies, industrial software engineering, data security, robotics and digital public infrastructure.
For Zimbabwe, participation at the conference is expected to unlock major opportunities in technology transfer, digital skills development and investment attraction as the country accelerates implementation of its National Development Strategy One and Vision 2030.
“The First Industrial Revolution was driven largely by Europe alone, while during the Second and Third Industrial Revolutions Africa was still under colonial occupation. But now, Africa wants to participate and contribute meaningfully to this new era of technological advancement. Africa has vast natural resources and a young population, and when these two are combined, the AI and technological revolution cannot succeed without the continent. We are saying that while Africa has the raw materials needed for these technologies, we are not merely an extraction continent. These resources must be utilised in a win-win situation. Technological advancement can only be truly meaningful when those minerals are beneficiated in ways that directly benefit the citizens of the countries where they are found,” the Vice President said.
Government has already identified ICTs as one of the key pillars for economic transformation, with authorities rolling out innovation hubs, community information centres and e-government systems aimed at modernising public services and bridging the digital divide.
Zimbabwe’s ICT sector has also been recording steady growth in recent years, driven by increased mobile connectivity, fintech expansion and growing internet penetration across the country.
Exposure to advanced Russian technologies is expected to help Zimbabwe strengthen sectors such as agriculture, mining, manufacturing, education and healthcare through automation, artificial intelligence and digital integration.
The engagement is also expected to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Harare and Moscow in science, innovation and industrial modernisation at a time when African countries are increasingly seeking technological self-sufficiency and local innovation capacity.
Zimbabwe’s participation at this conference is being viewed as a strategic step towards positioning the country within the fast-growing global digital economy, while creating opportunities for technology transfer, investment and skills development that could support industrial growth back home.
