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The Zimbabwean government is initiating a major overhaul of its broadcasting and digital media sectors to achieve total digital sovereignty and break the country’s reliance on foreign tech platforms. The conference, co-hosted by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) under the theme “Shaping the Future of Broadcasting: Sustainability, Innovation and Collaborative Regulation,” will continue explored practical steps to operationalise this new technological direction.
Speaking at the Annual Broadcasters Conference 2026 held at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Jonathan Gandari, Chief Director in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, outlined a radical shift in national media policy. Representing Minister Soda Zhemu, Gandari declared that the era of passive media consumption and traditional broadcasting is officially over.
“We stand at a critical digital crossroads,” Gandari told delegates. “We either adapt or we become irrelevant.”
The government’s primary concern is the growing threat of digital colonisation. Gandari warned against a future where Zimbabwe functions merely as a data farm for international technology giants.
He cautioned that relying exclusively on external networks like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok compromises national independence, noting that global communication trends link infrastructure control directly to technological power.
To counter this vulnerability, the Ministry has developed a strategic blueprint to construct a self-reliant, highly resilient broadcasting architecture capable of delivering localised digital content on a massive scale.
To achieve this digital independence, the government is challenging local institutions and capital markets to step up.
Researchers, students, and tech developers at NUST were urged to move beyond academic observation. The government tasked them with engineering localised algorithms designed to protect Zimbabwean cultural nuances, developing patented digital solutions, and maximising spectrum efficiency.
Declaring the sector’s digital frontier open, Gandari invited private investors to capitalise on this structural policy shift and help finance a modernised, world-class broadcasting framework.
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