Paradigm Initiative has urged students at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Bulawayo to develop technology that addresses community challenges while safeguarding users’ rights and digital security.
The call was made on Tuesday during the TENT GIG Zimbabwe programme, hosted by Paradigm Initiative under the theme “Building the Next Era: AI, Enterprise, and the African Developer”.
The programme brought together students from different academic disciplines to develop and present technology-based ideas, with a focus on ethical innovation and practical solutions to community problems.
Paradigm Initiative partnerships and engagements officer Bridget Ndlovu said developers needed to consider the social impact of their products rather than focus solely on their technical functionality.
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“This time around, we’re not focussing on rights. We’re focussing on tech development, ethical development of technology, making sure that the engineers that design specific tech-related products are designing products that solve problems within the community,” Ndlovu said.
She said participants received training in ethical technology development, business growth and marketing before presenting their ideas to a panel of judges.
The training also covered intellectual property, helping students understand how to protect their innovations from misuse or claims of ownership by others.
Ndlovu said a representative from NUST’s intellectual property department had explained how developers could protect their products and innovations.
She said the programme was intended to encourage students to apply their knowledge beyond the classroom and develop technology that makes a meaningful contribution to society.
“Students should not just be learning in class only. They should develop the actual technology. They should contribute meaningfully to society,” she said.
Paradigm Initiative executive director Gbenga Sesan said the programme also sought to prepare students to use their skills to solve problems and create economic opportunities, rather than rely entirely on formal employment.
He encouraged students to develop and test their ideas while still at university so they could graduate with practical projects ready for further development.
“If you have an app you want to design, design it by year four and start testing it. Let students use it. Let your classmates or your friends use it,” Sesan said.
He said students could use the skills and products they developed to secure employment or establish their own businesses.
Sesan said digital rights and inclusion should also be considered in technology development, noting that the organisation had developed games to teach students about the issues.
“We developed games where we teach students about digital rights and inclusion. But we want them to know that rights exist in the tech space,” he said.
He added that digital security was an important consideration for developers, who needed to ensure that their products were secure.
“Digital security is also a key concern when it comes to digital rights. So, how do I make myself secure? And the products that I develop, how do I make them secure,” he said.
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