Zimbabwe ICT Minister calls for gradual approach to National Data Centre Development

By:  Kanto Kai Okanta

Zimbabwe’s Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services, Tatenda Mavetera, has called for a national dialogue on strategic priorities for the country’s digital future, emphasizing a phased and foundational approach before pursuing major hyperscale data centres.

Speaking at the Pre-Budget Conference in Bulawayo, the Minister said the idea of attracting global technology giants such as Google to build data centres in Zimbabwe was appealing, but stressed that the country needed to strengthen internal capacity first. She argued that building a national ICT Park ecosystem supported by provincial digital centres, innovation hubs across universities and colleges, and mini ICT parks would deliver sustainable, sovereign growth.

Mavetera said Zimbabwe must first increase national data volumes and internet traffic by upgrading the national backbone, especially the optical fibre on power transmission infrastructure. She added that the country needed to aggressively drive digitalisation through digital payments, automation and e-governance to generate the traffic that would justify and support data centre investments.

According to the Minister, a centralised data centre model at this stage could limit innovation, adding that decentralisation, including edge computing, would better align with Zimbabwe’s current needs and regulatory realities. She also highlighted that public-private partnerships will form an essential part of the sector’s future growth, but sovereignty over networks and content must remain a priority for government.

Mavetera said the national objective to become a regional cybersecurity and internet hub remains intact, and the government is open to engagement and critique as it refines its long-term digital infrastructure strategy.