HARARE — Zimbabwe’s push to reinvent itself as a digital-first economy took a significant step forward this week as Econet Wireless detailed plans for a sprawling, 300-hectare data center and industrial technology park, backed by the government as a cornerstone of the country’s artificial intelligence ambitions.
After a meeting with the Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services, Tatenda Mavetera, Econet’s chief executive, Roy Chimanikire, framed the project as more than an infrastructure upgrade. Instead, he described it as a strategic shift meant to prepare Zimbabwe for an era in which data, computing power and energy capacity define economic competitiveness.
“This is about building the capacity to compete in the digital space,” Mr. Chimanikire said. “AI is changing how business is done, but it only works if the underlying infrastructure is in place.”
The minister placed the initiative within the National Development Strategy 2, which identifies digital infrastructure as a central pillar of economic growth. She said the project reflected a clear commitment to private sector–led development, a position she noted has been consistently emphasized by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
“We can only build a digital economy through collaboration with private players,” the minister said. “The private sector is very, very key, and development must be driven in partnership.”
Econet’s proposal includes investments not only in a large-scale data center, but also in expanded power generation to support energy-intensive computing. The minister said this combination is critical as Zimbabwe accelerates its adoption of artificial intelligence.
Zimbabwe is preparing to launch a national artificial intelligence strategy this month, she added, a move that will require significant upgrades in graphics processing units and national processing capacity. “If we are serious about AI, we must enhance our GPU and computing capacity as a country,” the minister said.
For Mr. Chimanikire, the data center is part of a broader effort to move Zimbabwe beyond traditional economic pillars such as mining and toward digitally enabled industries. AI and digitization, he said, are no longer confined to telecommunications, but are reshaping banking, finance and industrial production.
“Everything is becoming digital,” he said. “It’s not just about phones. It’s about building industrial capacity for the future.”
The minister also pointed to recent efforts to reduce the cost of doing business by cutting fees and levies across multiple sectors, including energy and local government. Those reforms, she said, are expected to have a ripple effect on the ICT sector, lowering operating costs and supporting more affordable data and voice services.
While details on financing and timelines have yet to be disclosed, the scale of the proposed development signals an ambitious bet: that by investing heavily in data, power and computing infrastructure, Zimbabwe can position itself as a competitive player in the regional digital economy — and avoid being left behind as artificial intelligence reshapes global industry.
For now, the project reflects a shared vision between the private sector and the state, with digital infrastructure at the center of Zimbabwe’s next phase of development.
