Story by ZBC Reporter
SPEAKER of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda has urged regional legislatures to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) as an indispensable tool for enhancing democratic governance, transparency, and parliamentary efficiency.
Delivering a keynote address at a mini-symposium ahead of the 57th Plenary Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum at the Parliament Building in Mt Hampden, Advocate Mudenda said parliaments face a “Hobson’s choice” and must act decisively to adopt digital technologies that can improve service delivery and deepen citizen engagement.
The symposium, held under the theme “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Effective and Efficient Parliamentary Processes: Experiences, Challenges and Opportunities,” brought together Members of Parliament, academics, and industry experts to discuss how AI can be integrated into legislative operations.
“Artificial intelligence is not a threat but a necessary enabler for legislative transformation. It is a human creation, and like all innovations, its impact depends on how we wield it,” he said.
The Speaker underscored the African Union’s digital agenda, which includes the Continental AI Strategy, the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa, and the Malabo Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection, noting that these frameworks offer a continental roadmap for responsible and ethical AI development.
Advocate Mudenda stressed that Zimbabwe’s 10th Institutional Strategic Plan (2025–2029) prioritises the modernisation of parliamentary processes through advanced digital systems. He announced plans to conduct an institutional AI needs assessment, which will evaluate current infrastructure, data architecture, and the readiness of parliamentary staff to adopt AI solutions.
“The assessment will guide the development of a strategic roadmap for the systematic integration of AI into our processes. We must align our operations with Vision 2030, which envisions efficient, responsive, and citizen-focused institutions,” he said.
He highlighted ongoing initiatives such as the development of a mobile chatbot to disseminate constituency information, and AI tools for real-time transcription of parliamentary debates, aimed at increasing efficiency in the Hansard Department.
Advocate Mudenda also referenced international models from Estonia, Brazil, India, and Singapore, where AI has been successfully implemented in legislative processes, including citizen engagement and automated speech-to-text systems.
However, he cautioned that ethical considerations must not be overlooked, particularly in the areas of data protection, algorithmic bias, and digital sovereignty.
“Let me warn that dependence on externally developed AI systems, without local contextualisation and oversight, may reinforce existing inequalities and compromise national sovereignty. We must build domestic capacity and ensure our academic institutions produce home-grown solutions,” he said.
The Speaker called on regional parliaments to learn from one another, forge strong partnerships with academia and the private sector, and ensure that AI deployment remains human-centred and democratically accountable.
The symposium forms part of the build-up to the SADC Parliamentary Forum’s 57th Plenary Assembly, which will be hosted in Victoria Falls later this week.
