Zimbabwe is positioning itself as a continental leader in data protection and digital trust, with the government placing “privacy by default” at the centre of its digital economy strategy.
Speaking at the third National Data Privacy Symposium in Bulawayo Wednesday, Minister of ICT , Postal and Courier Services Tatenda Mavetera said Zimbabwe had been nominated by regional partners in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to act as a “torchbearer for data protection capacity building”.
The symposium, organised by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), has evolved into a continental platform bringing together policymakers, regulators and technology professionals to shape Africa’s digital future.
In a speech that framed privacy as a driver of economic growth rather than a regulatory burden, the minister warned that weak data protection could undermine Zimbabwe’s digital ambitions.
“Can a digitised economy thrive without trust? The answer is no,” the minister said.
She added: “Trust is a vital economic asset that fosters adoption, investment and sustainability. Central to digital trust is privacy.”
The remarks reflect a broader shift in policy thinking, where governments are increasingly linking data governance to economic competitiveness, especially as digital financial services, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing expand across Africa.
Using a vivid analogy, the minister compared personal data to valuables carried in a public marketplace, questioning why citizens are expected to accept invisible intrusions online.
“Every da, across our digitally enabled economies that is exactly what millions of citizens unknowingly allow to happen because privacy has not been designed into the systems they trust,” she said.
The minister stressed that privacy should no longer be treated as an afterthought.
“Privacy has become a box to be ticked rather than the lock on the satchel ”
The symposium’s theme — “Privacy as the Default: A Foundation for Trust and Innovation in a Digitally Enabled Economy”— signals a policy push toward embedding safeguards directly into digital systems.
A key milestone highlighted at the event was the certification of 215 new Data Protection Officers (DPOs), bringing the national total to 1,070.
The minister described this as critical to building institutional capacity.
“This is not merely a statistic but it is a clear demonstration that Zimbabwe is steadily building the human capital required to sustain a trusted digital economy,” said the minister.
She said these professionals would serve as “frontline custodians of privacy compliance” across both public and private sectors.
Zimbabwe’s approach aims to balance innovation with rights protection, particularly as the country rolls out its artificial intelligence strategy.
The minister acknowledged risks linked to AI, including profiling bias and automated decision-making, warning that poor governance could erode public trust.
“Zimbabwe’s approach mandates that innovation be ethical, accountable and respectful of human dignity with privacy as the foundation for trustworthy AI,” she said.
The minister also called for “flexible, risk-based regulation,” including regulatory sandboxes for fintech and emerging technologies.
With digital trade increasingly dependent on cross-border data movement the minister revealed that government is pushing for regional harmonisation of laws, aligned with the African Union’s Malabo Convention.
“Data knows no borders and neither should our solutions,” the minister said, urging stronger cooperation among African regulators.
The minister acknowledged that government itself is one of the largest collectors of personal data and must lead by example.
“The government must uphold the trust citizens place in it regarding their identity, health and security,” she said.
He noted that the ICT Ministry had already taken steps by becoming the first licensed data controller under Zimbabwe’s Cyber and Data Protection Act.
“Privacy is not the enemy of innovation. It is its enabler,” the minister said.
Mavetera also called all stakeholders, regulators, industry and civil society to embed privacy into every layer of the digital ecosystem.
Zimbabwe’s push comes as countries across Africa race to build digital economies while grappling with rising cyber risks and growing concerns over data misuse. Representatives of data regulators institutions from South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Nigeria and DRC are attending the data indaba.