Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched the country’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2026-2030 Friday at the Parliament Building in Harare, setting out an ambition to transform the nation from a resource-dependent economy into a knowledge-driven one and establish it as a regional AI hub for inclusive and sustainable development in Southern Africa.
The strategy, developed by the Ministry of Information Communication Technology Postal and Courier Services in consultation with key stakeholders, was approved by cabinet in October 2025. It targets AI applications across agriculture, mining, healthcare, finance and education, and rests on six pillars: AI talent and capacity development; national AI infrastructure and computational sovereignty; AI adoption and service transformation; governance, ethics and regulation; research, development and innovation; and international collaboration and diplomacy.
A central infrastructure component is Project Pangolin, a national AI and data platform designed to provide secure, sovereign computing infrastructure and national datasets, giving Zimbabwean researchers and developers access to computational resources needed to build local AI solutions. A national AI and innovation fund, the Mugove/Umqele/Isabelo Fund, will co-invest government capital alongside private investors in certified AI startups with the goal of accelerating a domestic AI industry.
The strategy also introduces a national AI regulatory sandbox called the Innovation Crucible, which will allow startups to test AI products under temporary regulatory flexibility. The first cohort is expected to include five to seven fintech and telecommunications companies.
A national AI literacy campaign branded Nzwisiso.ai aims to reach 60% of Zimbabwe’s adult population by 2030 — one of the most ambitious public awareness targets in any African AI strategy to date. An annual Zimbabwe AI Grand Challenge competition will invite innovators to develop AI solutions to pressing national problems, with the first challenge focused on food security.
Implementation is planned in three phases: a foundation-building sprint covering the first 100 days of 2026, an 18-month build phase to deliver core infrastructure and launch key programs, and a scaling phase running through 2030 focused on sector-wide adoption and regional leadership. Governance will sit with a newly established National AI Council and an AI Strategy Implementation Office, supported by technical working groups and a monitoring and evaluation framework.
What distinguishes Zimbabwe’s approach from many other national AI strategies is its governance philosophy. Rather than borrowing frameworks from the European Union or United States, the strategy’s governance pillar is anchored in Ubuntu, the Bantu philosophical tradition whose central tenet — “I am because we are” — places collective well-being above individual or commercial interest. The Zimbabwe AI Governance, Ethics and Regulatory Framework aims to mandate that AI systems be designed to promote social cohesion, shared humanity and collective well-being.
The strategy positions Zimbabwe as a competitor to neighboring South Africa in the regional AI space, though the challenge is considerable: South Africa’s economy is roughly eight times the size of Zimbabwe’s. Analysts note, however, that smaller countries can sometimes move faster to implement national technology programs.
