Zimbabwe's Minister of ICT reaffirms country’s commitment to digital cooperation with Russia

By:  Nana Appiah Acquaye

The Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services, Hon. Tatenda Mavetera, has reaffirmed Zimbabwe's commitment to international cooperation and inclusive digital transformation during the 11th Digital Industry of Industrial Russia (CIPR) Conference held in Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation.

Hon. Mavetera participated in the conference as part of the Zimbabwean delegation led by Vice President General (Rtd) Dr C. G. D. N. Chiwenga.

During the event, the minister held bilateral discussions with Russia’s Deputy Minister for Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media, Mr Alexandr Shojtov. The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation between Zimbabwe and Russia in the areas of digital transformation, innovation and ICT development.

Hon. Mavetera also joined a high-level meeting involving the Zimbabwean delegation and officials led by the Governor of Nizhny Novgorod, Mr Gleb Nikitin. The meeting explored opportunities to enhance business relations and investment partnerships between the two countries.

Speaking during a panel discussion on “Building the Ecosystem: Infrastructure for Smart & Advanced Manufacturing in Developing Countries,” the minister stressed the importance of prioritising foundational infrastructure to support Zimbabwe’s industrialisation and digital economy ambitions.

She noted that Zimbabwe’s focus is shifting from standalone digitisation projects towards building integrated ecosystem infrastructure capable of supporting long-term industrial growth. According to Hon. Mavetera, developing reliable power systems for industrial parks and establishing sovereign data centres remain critical priorities to enable local manufacturers to securely process and manage data within Zimbabwe’s borders.

On the sidelines of the conference, Hon. Mavetera joined the Vice President in engagements with businesses from Nizhny Novgorod aimed at unlocking strategic partnerships to support Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 agenda.

The minister also represented Vice President Chiwenga during an engagement with Zimbabwean students studying in Nizhny Novgorod. During the meeting, she shared messages of encouragement and national pride with the students and oversaw the distribution of grocery hampers donated by President Dr E. D. Mnangagwa as a gesture of support to Zimbabwean students abroad.

Zimbabwe continues to position digital transformation, industrialisation and international collaboration as key pillars in its drive toward becoming a modern and empowered economy under Vision 2030.