Staff Reporter
President Mnangagwa yesterday launched the National Digital Ambassadors Programme, a transformative initiative aimed at equipping young Zimbabweans with digital skills to enhance economic development and bridge the rural-urban digital divide.
The launch event, held in Harare, underscored Government's commitment to digital transformation as part of Vision 2030 and the first National Development Strategy (NDS1).
“Africa’s digital transformation agenda strongly links the availability and use of digital technologies to economic growth, innovation, job creation, and inclusion,” President Mnangagwa stated.
He emphasised that Government has prioritised ICT, science, and technology access beyond higher education to include primary and secondary school levels.
The programme will deploy 100 digital ambassadors in each province to provide strategic digital literacy training, particularly in marginalised communities.
The ambassadors, described by the President as “tech-savvy accelerators,” will help promote innovation, support local businesses, and encourage technology adoption in schools and other institutions.
“The National Digital Ambassadors Programme will help ensure that digital skills are devolved to every corner of Zimbabwe, leaving no one and no place behind,” he said.
The launch came just days before Robert Gabriel Mugabe National Youth Day, and the initiative is expected to create employment opportunities while fostering a digitally skilled workforce.
The President acknowledged the partnerships with China and the United Arab Emirates, highlighting them as results of Zimbabwe’s “Engagement and Re-engagement Programme” drive and its “Friend to all and Enemy to None” foreign policy approach.
A key feature of the programme was the introduction of the Digi-Truck, a state-of-the-art mobile ICT training facility donated by Chinese technology giant Huawei.
The truck will travel across Zimbabwe, delivering digital skills training to remote areas.
“The Digi-Truck will play a pivotal role in enabling our citizens to be digitally literate and access online services,” President Mnangagwa said.
The initiative will complement the Presidential Internet Programme, which aims to deploy Low Earth Orbit(LEO) satellite services to improve connectivity in rural areas.
“This e-enabling infrastructure will bring high-speed internet closer to villages, schools, clinics, and community centres, empowering farmers and entrepreneurs,” he added.
While celebrating digital advancements, the President urged citizens to use technology responsibly to foster “social cohesion, unity, peace, love, and harmony.”
He warned that: “Those with the tendency of fueling divisions among communities will be punished.”
As Zimbabwe moves toward a digital future, President Mnangagwa called on all sectors to support the programme, saying, “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
He encouraged young ambassadors to be patriotic and focused, declaring, “Nyika inovakwa, inotongwa, inonamatigwa nevene vayo” (A nation has the responsibility for building, governing, and praying for its country).
With a push for e-learning, e-commerce, and e-governance, Zimbabwe’s latest digital initiative aims to transform the country’s economy in line with President Mnangagwa’s inclusive development drive.
