CLIMATE change is intensifying droughts, floods, and heatwaves, undermining agriculture, water security, and energy systems that millions depend on for survival.
At the same time, digital technologies from mobile platforms to artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming how societies plan, govern, and produce.
The central question is no longer whether digital solutions matter for environmental sustainability in Zimbabwe, but whether the country can harness them equitably, responsibly, and at scale.
Digital technology has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while strengthening climate resilience.
In agriculture, which employs the majority of Zimbabweans and contributes substantially to emissions and environmental degradation, digital tools can be transformative.
Mobile-based climate advisory services can deliver real-time weather forecasts, drought warnings, and planting recommendations to smallholder farmers.
Precision agriculture tools such as satellite imagery, soil sensors, and data analytics can optimize the use of water, fertilizer, and seed, reducing waste and emissions while increasing yields.
For a country where rainfall patterns are increasingly erratic, such technologies could mean the difference between chronic food insecurity and climate-smart production.
- COP26 a washout? Don’t lose hope – here’s why
- Out & about: Bright sheds light on Vic Falls Carnival
- COP26 a washout? Don’t lose hope – here’s why
- Out & about: Bright sheds light on Vic Falls Carnival
Keep Reading
Beyond agriculture, digitalisation can support sustainability in energy, water, and urban management.
Smart grids and digital metering can improve the efficiency of Zimbabwe’s electricity system, reduce losses, and better integrate renewable energy sources like solar and small hydropower.
Given Zimbabwe’s abundant solar potential and frequent power shortages, digital energy management systems could accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels while improving reliability.
In water management, remote sensing and digital monitoring can track dam levels, groundwater use, and pollution, enabling faster responses to droughts or contamination events. In cities, data-driven traffic management and digital public transport systems can reduce congestion and emissions while improving mobility.
However, the promise of digital solutions will remain largely theoretical unless Zimbabwe addresses its digital readiness gap.
Access to affordable internet, reliable electricity, and digital devices is still uneven, particularly in rural areas where climate impacts are most severe.
Without deliberate policy choices, digital transformation risks reinforcing existing inequalities, benefiting urban elites while leaving vulnerable communities behind.
Environmental sustainability cannot be achieved through technology alone; it requires inclusive systems that ensure farmers, women, youth, and marginalised groups can actually use and benefit from digital tools.
This is where digital public infrastructure becomes critical. Platforms such as national digital identity systems, interoperable data platforms, and open government data can underpin environmental planning and climate action.
For example, integrated climate and agricultural data systems could support evidence-based policymaking, disaster risk reduction, and targeted social protection during climate shocks.
Digital land registries could reduce conflicts, improve land-use planning, and support sustainable resource management.
When designed with transparency and inclusion in mind, digital public infrastructure can strengthen governance while accelerating climate adaptation and mitigation.
International partners, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), have a vital role to play.
UNDP’s work in supporting over 40 countries to improve digital readiness and develop digital public infrastructure offers valuable lessons for Zimbabwe.
Technical assistance, policy support, and financing can help align digital transformation with environmental goals rather than short-term commercial interests.
Importantly, such support should prioritise local capacity building training civil servants, innovators, and communities to design, manage, and maintain digital systems that respond to Zimbabwe’s specific environmental challenges.
Artificial intelligence deserves special attention in this debate. AI can enhance climate modelling, optimise energy systems, detect deforestation, and improve early warning systems for extreme weather. In a country vulnerable to cyclones and droughts, AI-powered forecasting could save lives and livelihoods.
Yet AI also comes with environmental costs.
Data centres consume vast amounts of energy and water, and poorly regulated AI deployment can increase emissions rather than reduce them.
Advocating for environmental sustainability standards for AI is therefore not a luxury but a necessity.
Zimbabwe, even as a technology adopter rather than a global AI leader, has an interest in ensuring that AI systems used within its borders are energy-efficient, transparent, and aligned with national sustainability goals.
Policy coherence will determine success. Digital strategies, climate policies, and development plans in Zimbabwe often operate in silos, undermining their collective impact.
A clear national vision that positions digitalization as a tool for environmental sustainability rather than an end in itself is urgently needed.
This means embedding climate objectives into ICT policies, requiring environmental impact assessments for major digital investments, and incentivising green innovation through tax breaks, grants, and public procurement.
The private sector and local innovators also have a crucial role. Zimbabwe’s growing tech ecosystem, though constrained by financing and infrastructure gaps, is well placed to develop context-specific digital solutions.
Start-ups working on agri-tech, fintech, and climate services can drive innovation that is both scalable and locally relevant.
Public–private partnerships can help pilot and expand digital solutions for sustainability, provided they are governed by clear rules that protect public interests and environmental outcomes.
Ultimately, digital solutions are not a silver bullet for Zimbabwe’s environmental challenges.
Technology cannot substitute for political will, sound institutions, or community engagement.
But when combined with inclusive policies, sustainable financing, and strong governance, digital tools can amplify climate action and resilience.
Zimbabwe’s choice is not between digitalization and sustainability, but whether to pursue a digital future that deepens environmental crises or one that helps solve them.
In an era of accelerating climate risk, Zimbabwe cannot afford to treat digital transformation as a neutral or purely economic agenda. It must be deliberately shaped to serve environmental sustainability and social equity.
If guided by inclusive digital public infrastructure, responsible AI standards, and strong partnerships with institutions like UNDP, digital solutions can become a powerful ally in building a greener, more resilient Zimbabwe.
