Zimbabwe Launches Rural AI Hub to Expand Digital Skills and Innovation

Zimbabwe has launched an Artificial Intelligence, Digital and Innovation Hub at Nyamuroro Vocational Training Centre in Gokwe North as part of efforts to expand digital skills and innovation opportunities in rural communities.

The hub was established through a partnership between the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Uncommon.org. It is expected to provide young people with access to computers, digital skills training, artificial intelligence, coding and innovation opportunities.

Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Tatenda Mavetera, represented at the launch by Director in the Minister’s Office Kudakwashe Muzenda, said the ministry had provided 20 laptops to support the facility. She stressed that connectivity must be accompanied by practical skills that allow communities to use technology productively.

“Connectivity opens the door. Skills enable people to walk through it,” Mavetera said, urging the hub to focus on developing practical digital solutions for farmers, small businesses, schools and other community needs.

The launch builds on the Presidential Internet Scheme, which was introduced at Nyamuroro High School in April 2025 to expand broadband connectivity across Zimbabwe’s 2,400 administrative wards and improve access to digital services in underserved communities.

Mavetera also called for the hub to connect rural learners to government digital-skills programmes, including the 1.5 Million Coders Programme and the CYBERUS cybersecurity programme, as the country works to increase participation in the digital economy.

Minister of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training Tinoda Machakaire, represented by Deputy Minister Kudakwashe Mupanhanga, said the hub would provide rural young people with opportunities to develop skills in AI, coding, digital innovation and other areas of the digital economy.

Machakaire described the facility as his ministry’s first AI Digital Innovation Hub established in a rural area, saying its location in Gokwe North reflects the need to ensure Zimbabwe’s digital transformation extends beyond urban centres.

The hub has already enrolled 52 young people from Gokwe North, who have begun digital skills training. The initiative is expected to contribute to efforts by the government and its development partners to narrow Zimbabwe’s rural-urban digital divide by combining connectivity with skills development and innovation opportunities.