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Econet Wireless Zimbabwe has launched its artificial intelligence arm, Econet AI, with Chief Executive Officer Navdeep Kapur saying their aim is do make Zimbabwe an AI creator instead of a consumer only.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Kapur said the initiative is anchored on a vision to ensure Zimbabweans not only consume artificial intelligence tools but actively build them, leveraging local talent and infrastructure that is now available through a partnership with Cassava Technologies.
Kapur said their focus is not to following global hype around AI but to deploy practical solutions that reduce costs, improve efficiency and grow businesses while delivering tangible benefits to ordinary citizens.
“Our promise is that we do not want Zimbabwe to be a consumer of AI. We want Zimbabwe to be a creator of AI,” Kapur said.
Early applications of the technology are already showing real-world impact.
Econet AI’s customer service platform, Yamurai, has cut response times from between eight and ten minutes to just three seconds, effectively giving each customer a personalised digital assistant.
The system is designed to improve service delivery across sectors such as banking and telecommunications.
In network management, the company’s autonomous systems are reducing fault resolution times from several days to minutes, a shift expected to improve connectivity reliability for households and businesses that depend on mobile and internet services.
Beyond urban applications, Econet AI is targeting sectors critical to everyday livelihoods, particularly agriculture, healthcare and education.
Kapur said language inclusion is also central to the initiative, with the introduction of AI tools that allow users to build applications in local languages such as Shona, lowering barriers to entry for innovators without advanced English proficiency.
To support long-term growth of the sector, Econet AI is investing in skills development, working with global technology partners including NVIDIA, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and Google’s Gemini platform to provide training programmes and tools for local engineers.
Kapur said the focus going forward is execution as necessary tools, platforms and partnerships are already in place to accelerate adoption across industries.
Econet AI says access to global cloud infrastructure and computing power now presents an opportunity to close the gap of Zimbabwe lagging behind in adopting major technological shifts and compete on a more equal footing.
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