By Wallace Mawire
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe, will host AI and Innovation Week 2025 from Tuesday 25 November to Thursday 27 November 2025 in Harare.
The three-day programme will gather ministers, policymakers, innovators, private-sector leaders, youth, academia, and development partners to advance the implementation of Zimbabwe’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2026–2030) and accelerate progress toward an inclusive, AI-powered innovation ecosystem.
UNDP Zimbabwe Deputy Resident Representative, Challa Getachew, underscored the significance of this national platform.
“Zimbabwe is ready for AI. We are actively building the future of the digital economy, and AI is a catalyst for that transformation,” Getachew said.
“This Week brings together government, academia, innovators, and development partners to ensure AI drives economic transformation, improved service delivery, and human development for every Zimbabwean.”
The Week forms part of Zimbabwe’s national AI Sprint, implemented in partnership with the Ministry of ICT, the Zimbabwe School of Mines, vocational training centres, UNDP’s Timbuktoo Africa Innovation Fund, UniPods, and the global Digital, AI & Innovation Hub.
An AI for Government Capacity Building Bootcamp,
A full-day bootcamp for ministries, parastatals, and regulators featuring AI for Government: Regulator, User, Enabler roles, AI use cases in health, agriculture, mining, education, climate resilience, and governance,
Group exercise for ministries to identify catalytic AI priorities and KPIs and Panel discussion on Ethical AI and Governance in Africa will be conducted during the week.
The bootcamp is meant to equip public institutions to operationalize the National AI Strategy with clear entry points and safeguards. Also an Ecosystem Engagement, Innovation Showcase and Hackathon Presentations will be presented.
A multi-stakeholder innovation day featuring National AI ecosystem mapping (government, academia, private sector, youth hubs),
MineTech Innovation Challenge presentations,
Lithium Value Chain Hackathon judging,
Ministerial presentations of sectoral AI roadmaps and
Demonstrations of youth-led and national AI prototypes will be held.
The day will consolidate Zimbabwe’s innovation landscape into a cohesive National AI Hub Network, linking the MineTech Hub, youth digital hubs, and private-sector accelerators.
An Awards and High-Level Closing ceremony will be held Featuring
Awards for the top MineTech Innovation Challenge and Lithium Value Chain Hackathon teams,
Pitch sessions from Zimbabwe’s leading young AI innovators, Ministerial reflections and next steps for National AI Strategy implementation coupled with Interview opportunities with government and UNDP leadership.
More than 270 young innovators from across Zimbabwe applied to the MineTech Innovation Challenge, with 30 finalists—aged 18 to 34—now advancing to the finals. Their prototypes, refined after a technical bootcamp at Mimosa Mine, address safety, efficiency, transparency, and value addition across the mining value chain.
“Youth are not just recipients of information—they are innovators,” Getachew stressed.
AI and Innovation Week will highlight real applications already in use including
Mining: predictive safety technologies, automation, and environmental monitoring,
Agriculture: drones, moisture sensors, predictive irrigation,
Health: AI-enabled supply chain management and forecasting,
Biodiversity: surveillance and anti-poaching tools including
SMEs: digital literacy and AI-enabled design and e-commerce tools.
Constance Pepukai, UNDP Head of Nature, Climate & Energy, emphasized:
“AI must be powered by sustainable energy, which is why UNDP is expanding solar mini-grids and connecting rural schools and clinics.”
CBZ has committed US$10,000 in seed funding, complemented by UNDP milestone-based awards for top innovators.
“This is a model of blended finance,” noted UNDP Senior Economist Alex Warren-Rodríguez.
“We seed promising ideas, help teams become bankable, and then crowd in additional investors. This is how Zimbabwe will scale its digital economy.”
UNDP Head of Exploration, UNDP Accelerator Lab, Violet Katiyo, added:
“To build the future workforce, we must start now—primary schools, teachers, rural youth. Inclusion is non-negotiable.”
