Story by Abigirl Tembo
Vice President General Rtd Dr Constantino Chiwenga has arrived in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia for the prestigious Digital Industry of Industrial Russia Conference commonly known as CIPR 2026.
The Vice President is representing President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the high-level global technology and industrial platform, which brings together governments, technology leaders, investors and industry experts to discuss digital transformation, artificial intelligence and innovation-driven economic growth.
He was welcomed at the Nizhny Novgorod International Airport by senior Russian government officials, Zimbabwean embassy representatives and conference organisers upon arrival.
Zimbabwe’s participation at the conference is expected to strengthen cooperation with Russia in areas such as information communication technology, digital infrastructure, smart industry systems and skills development as the Second Republic pursues the modernisation and industrialisation agenda.
The conference comes at a time when digital economies are becoming major drivers of global growth, with Russia revealing that its information technology sector has doubled its contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product over the last six years.
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 agenda.
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 and growing internet penetration across the country.
The Zimbabwean delegation includes officials from the Ministry of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services, Ministry of Energy and Power Development as well as the Scientific, Industrial Research and Development Centre (SIRDC).
The CIPR Conference is one of Russia’s premier international digital economy forums and is attracting participants from across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
