There are few Zimbabweans better placed to comment on technological disruption than Trevor Ncube. So when he speaks about the sweeping impact artificial intelligence will have across economic sectors, it is worth listening. He witnessed, in real time and in public, how the digital revolution dismantled the traditional news business model that had sustained media houses for decades. Classifieds migrated online. Advertising fragmented. Attention atomised. News became instant, abundant and algorithmically distributed. If anyone understands how swiftly technology can erode once-stable professions, it is him. And on one central point, he is absolutely correct: knowledge-work is exposed, and denial is fatal.

But Zimbabwe’s larger story goes even deeper. Artificial intelligence will not simply disrupt services; it will reorganise the real economy itself. It will not stop at lawyers, bankers, accountants or property agents. It will reach creatives, coders, farmers, miners, logistics operators and even the AI industry itself. This is not a sectoral tremor. It is a structural shift.
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Zimbabwe recently rejected a proposed US$350 million health funding agreement with the United States after President Emmerson Mnangagwa directed his government to halt negotiations. The deal, presented under Washington’s America First Global Health Strategy, was intended to shape future US health support to Zimbabwe. However, Harare concluded that its conditions were incompatible with national sovereignty.

Two elements reportedly raised serious concern. First, the agreement sought direct access to Zimbabwe’s health data for a defined period – something officials viewed as excessive and potentially intrusive. Second, the US reportedly pushed for access to Zimbabwe’s critical mineral resources within the broader framework of the arrangement. In addition, Zimbabwe objected on principle to entering a bilateral health architecture with a country that had withdrawn from the World Health Organisation, arguing that such a move would weaken multilateral global health governance. More …

Childhood is not a beta test. Yet we have allowed it to become one – at scale, in public, and for profit.

In Britain, Sir Keir Starmer’s government has now drawn a line, insisting that “no platform gets a free pass” as it moves to close loopholes that allow illegal and harmful material – including AI-generated content – to circulate and target children. The direction of travel is unmistakable: the era of self-regulation, polite warnings, and parent-blaming is ending. More …