Zimbabwe, Botswana Presidents tour Econet’s stand at ZITF

By Online Reporter | 19h ago

Econet Deputy CEO Roy Chimanikire (right) makes a point at the Econet ZITF stand on Thursday as President Duma Boko of Botswana (left), President Mnangagwa and ICT Minister Tatenda Mavetera listen attentively.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa and President Duma Boko visited the Econet Wireless stand at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo on Thursday, where they toured the stand led by a senior executive of the company.

The two heads of state – who were welcomed to the stand by the Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services, Hon Tatenda Mavetera – were guided through Econet’s award-winning exhibition stand by the company’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Roy Chimanikire.

President Boko was the guest of honour at this year’s ZITF, where he officially opened the international fair on Thursday.

Chimanikire walked the two Presidents through Econet’s range of strategic business units, including Econet AI, Econet InfraCo, the Econet telecom and digital mobile business, and EcoCash, the company’s fintech unit – among others.

Econet recently launched of its own dedicated AI business, called Econet AI, aimed at accelerating the adoption of AI across Zimbabwe’s economy, supported by its strong global partnerships.

Among the AI-driven products on display at the Econet stand is EcoFarmer AI – designed to boost productivity by empowering farmers with data-driven insights – and Yamurai, the intelligent AI-driven chatbot and virtual assistant that is proficient in local languages and built to enhance customer experience and digital engagement.

Econet is also exhibiting AI use-cases in education, through the Akello smart learning platform, and in healthcare services through its Mars and EcoSure Health units.Econet InfraCo – the infrastructure platform company valued at an estimated US$1billion which was recently listed on the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (VFEX) – is also exhibiting at the ZITF.

The visit by the two Presidents is seen as a strong endorsement of home-grown, Africa-centric technology solutions and innovations and comes at a time Zimbabwe is accelerating its digital transformation agenda, with AI as a lever and catalyst for accelerated economic growth, productivity and global competitiveness.