Zimbabwe positions itself as regional leader in data protection

Zimbabwe is positioning itself as a continental leader in data protection and digital trust, with the government placing “privacy by default” at the centre of its digital economy strategy. Speaking at the third National Data Privacy Symposium in Bulawayo Wednesday, Minister of ICT , Postal and Courier Services Tatenda Mavetera said Zimbabwe had been nominated by regional partners in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to act as a “torchbearer for data protection capacity building”. The symposium, organised by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), has evolved into a continental platform bringing together policymakers, regulators and technology professionals to shape Africa’s digital future.

In a speech that framed privacy as a driver of economic growth rather than a regulatory burden, the minister warned that weak data protection could undermine Zimbabwe’s digital ambitions. “Can a digitised economy thrive without trust? The answer is no,” the minister said.

She added: “Trust is a vital economic asset that fosters adoption, investment and sustainability. Central to digital trust is privacy.” The remarks reflect a broader shift in policy thinking, where governments are increasingly linking data governance to economic competitiveness, especially as digital financial services, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing expand across Africa. Using a vivid analogy, the minister compared personal data to valuables carried in a public marketplace, questioning why citizens are expected to accept invisible intrusions online.

[paywall]

“Every da, across our digitally enabled economies that is exactly what millions of citizens unknowingly allow to happen because privacy has not been designed into the systems they trust,” she said. The minister stressed that privacy should no longer be treated as an afterthought. “Privacy has become a box to be ticked rather than the lock on the satchel ” The symposium’s theme —“Privacy as the Default: A Foundation for Trust and Innovation in a Digitally Enabled Economy”— signals a policy push toward embedding safeguards directly into digital systems.

[/paywall]