Zimbabwe to Establish a Software Developer Skills Development Hub

Zimbabwe has launched an ambitious national digital workforce initiative after signing a strategic memorandum of understanding with Liquid Intelligent Technologies to establish a Software Developer Skills Development Hub aimed at strengthening the country’s artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and software engineering capacity.

The agreement, signed between the Ministry of Skills Audit and Development and Data Control & Systems (1996) Private Limited, trading as Liquid Intelligent Technologies, forms part of Harare’s broader push to reposition Zimbabwe within the fast-growing global digital economy while reducing dependence on imported technologies.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Skills Audit and Development Minister Jenfan Muswere described the initiative as a national intervention designed to shift Zimbabwe from being primarily a consumer of technology to becoming a creator of digital solutions.

“We gather today at a moment of genuine consequence,” Muswere said. “Not because of the paper we will sign, but because of what that paper demands of us from this day forward. It demands delivery. It demands accountability. And above all, it demands that we keep faith with Zimbabwe’s youth.”

Muswere said Zimbabwe already possessed strong educational foundations but lacked structured systems capable of converting academic potential into industrial and economic output.

“Zimbabwe has always been a nation of educated, capable people,” he said. “But foundations are only as valuable as the structures we build upon them.”

Under the agreement, the Software Developer Skills Development Hub will focus on training Zimbabweans in software development, artificial intelligence, cloud engineering, cybersecurity and digital entrepreneurship.

The program will go beyond short-term certification training by creating a long-term skills pipeline linking secondary education, tertiary institutions and employment opportunities.

Participants are expected to gain access to AI-focused computing environments, project-based learning systems and subsidized graphics processing unit infrastructure provided through Liquid Intelligent Technologies.

The inclusion of GPU infrastructure is viewed as significant because high-performance computing resources remain one of the biggest barriers facing African developers and startups seeking to participate in advanced artificial intelligence development.

The program will also introduce globally recognized cybersecurity certifications, industry-aligned curricula and internship pathways connected to Cassava AI operations across Africa.

Government plans also include expanding coding and mathematics-for-programming initiatives into secondary schools through boot camps and career exposure programs.

Implementation would be overseen through a Joint Steering Committee and Joint Task Team tasked with coordinating delivery and accelerating execution.

Muswere said Zimbabwe needed to move quickly to strengthen what he intellectual independence and sovereignty in the digital sector.

“Every time we import software, we are importing skills and exporting jobs,” he said. “Every licence fee paid abroad for software our own engineers could have built is a salary that did not go to a Zimbabwean family.”

Speaking on behalf of Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Loretta Songola said Zimbabwe was entering a defining phase in its digital transformation agenda as governments and industries increasingly adapt to a technology-driven economy accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The economy is increasingly becoming part of a wider global digital economy,” Songola said.

She said artificial intelligence should not be viewed solely as a threat to employment, arguing that digital systems still depend heavily on human oversight, governance and ethical controls.

Songola also stressed the importance of improving digital literacy and ensuring ordinary citizens are not excluded from technological transformation.

The partnership reflects a growing trend across Africa in which governments are increasingly treating digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence and software engineering as strategic economic sectors tied to competitiveness and national development.

Zimbabwe, long associated with mining and agriculture, has increasingly signaled interest in becoming part of Africa’s emerging digital infrastructure and AI economy, leveraging its high literacy rate and strong emphasis on mathematics and science education..

If successfully executed, the partnership could help position Zimbabwe as a regional supplier of software developers, AI specialists and cybersecurity professionals as demand for digital skills continues to grow globally.