THE Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) has said that half of Zimbabwe companies have started working on digital transition strategies, while nearly a fifth have yet to consider the shift.Zimbabwe business news
A firm’s digital transition (or digital transformation) entails a comprehensive, strategic, and cultural overhaul of how an organisation operates, utilising technology to fundamentally change value delivery and internal processes.
It goes beyond merely adopting new tools — such as AI or cloud computing — to include rethinking business models, upskilling employees, and prioritising customer-centric experiences.
Digital transition is critical for companies globally because it is no longer merely a competitive advantage, but a survival necessity to remain relevant in a rapidly evolving, hyper-connected and data-driven business environment.
It involves the strategic integration of digital technologies — such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing — across all areas of a business, fundamentally changing how organisations operate and deliver value
CZI recently conducted an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Transformation pulse check, which found that 51 percent of the respondents are implementing a digital transition strategy.
Only seven percent have completed the process.
According to Zimbabwe’s largest industrial lobby group, about 21 percent are still in the planning phase and 19 percent have no strategy at all, indicating momentum but uneven readiness.
“The largest group of firms has been working on digital transition for only one to two years (41 percent). Only 18 percent have been at it for more than five years, which suggests the ecosystem is still building foundational capabilities rather than scaling mature digital models,” reads an update from CZI.
“Digital transition is mainly led by the CEO/Managing Director (40 percent), while technical leaders such as CIOs/IT directors account for a smaller share.
“That signals strong top-level buy-in, but it may also mean execution depends too heavily on executive intent unless firms strengthen technical ownership and program management.”
Zimbabwe’s digital transformation is a strategic imperative for economic growth, inclusivity and global competitiveness.Zimbabwe business news
The Government’s 2025 Infrastructure Investment Programme emphasises the need for a robust digital ecosystem. Key initiatives include infrastructure development, skills development, regulatory reforms, AI strategy and brand equity.
These efforts aim to create an enabling environment for Zimbabwean brands to flourish both domestically and internationally, contributing to the nation’s industrial recovery and competitiveness.
CZI noted that 81 percent of the firms reported facing challenges in digital transition, with the two biggest barriers being skills gaps (61 percent) and limited digital infrastructure/services (47 percent).
“When firms were asked for the single most significant challenge, infrastructure came first (40 percent), ahead of skills (30 percent) and capital (18 percent),” said CZI.
“That means talent is the broadest pain point, but infrastructure is the hardest bottleneck.
The top priority for the next 12 months is process automation (52 percent), followed by data and analytics (41 percent). This suggests firms are chasing practical returns first: lower costs, better productivity, and better decision-making.”
CZI stressed that analysis by firm size, based on the number of employees, shows that the largest proportion (33 percent) of firms that responded to the survey are large firms with more than 500 employees.
The lobby group said firms with one to 10 employees also participated in the survey, accounting for 17 percent of the respondents.
Based on the survey findings, which highlight a top-down but infrastructure-constrained digital landscape in Zimbabwe, CZI said that with 40 percent of firms citing limited infrastructure as their most significant challenge, a purely private-sector solution is unlikely.Zimbabwe business news
The organisation, therefore, stated that the Government should incentivise digital infrastructure.
“Since 41 percent of firms have only been on the digital transition journey for one to two years, there is a wealth of early-stage institutional knowledge that is currently siloed,” said CZI.
“Therefore, there is a need for private players to come up with data-driven peer learning networks.” – Herald