Whilst others promise, we deliver. That was my high school motto that embedded the do-er mindset within me.
This past week, I had a privilege to represent our team in a pioneer initiative driving the implementation of Zimbabwe’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: the 2026 AI for Impact (AI4I) Challenge. I am incredibly proud to announce that after days of intense competition, our team emerged as the Design Champions, securing 1st place in the Design Track with our solution, Indimi. (Read the NUST feature.)
The awards awaiting the champions at the 2026 AI for Impact Challenge.
The Ultimate Proving Ground
Hosted by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), the AI4I Challenge was designed to turn the country’s AI ambitions into practical, high impact solutions with measurable public value.
During the Bootcamp, Day 2. Engaging in intense business idea generation and concept development.
The scale of the competition was massive. From an initial pool of 738 applications nationwide, POTRAZ selected only 60 top innovators to participate in a rigorous six day residential bootcamp in Mutare. Across four distinct tracks (Data, Design, Development, and Deployment) we underwent intensive business model training, technical clinics, and rapid prototyping under the guidance of expert domain coaches.
During the Bootcamp, Day 6. The final innovation engagements and official closing ceremony preparations.
Out of those 60 elite competitors, only 16 final winners were selected. We were one of them.
Meet Indimi: Closing the Digital Equity Gap
We secured the Design Track victory by addressing a structural crisis in public service delivery: the language and accessibility gap.
Our winning solution, Indimi, is an AI powered decision making tool built for local government and public systems. It transforms raw, complex institutional data into actionable, localized insights.
Pitching Indimi to the judging panel: making the case for why “stable” national averages hide the users who need help most.
Standard dashboards often hide massive inequalities behind “stable” national averages. Indimi breaks that data down to reveal exact points of failure, such as minority language users being left behind, and generates evidence cited policy interventions across 6 languages: English, chiShona, isiNdebele, Tshivenda, Chichewa, and Xitsonga. Furthermore, we designed Indimi to be fully inclusive, strictly adhering to WCAG 2.1 AA international standards with features like integrated text to speech and high contrast modes for users with visual impairments.
The $12,000 Prize Package
Holding our two prize cheques: $7,000 from Econet Wireless and $5,000 from His Excellency.
Winning the Design Champion title came with a transformative $12,000 prize package designed to help us scale (POTRAZ winners announcement):
- $7,000 in AI Compute: Awarded by Econet Wireless in the form of AI tokens and backend compute capacity to power Indimi’s language processing engines.
- $5,000 Implementation Grant: Awarded as prize money from His Excellency, which will be disbursed as milestone based funding to pilot and rollout the solution in real government systems.
The Team Behind the Vision
During the prize giving ceremony. Representing the team and celebrating a hard fought victory alongside our ecosystem partners.
This victory is a testament to the relentless dedication of my teammates from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST):
- Chris Nyamajiva (Team Lead): Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
- Wellington Gombarume (System Designer): Electronics Engineering
- Paidamoyo Dzivakwi (Assistant Designer): Computer Science
Hats off to Chris and Paidamoyo for working around the clock to make this prototype a reality. We also owe a massive debt of gratitude to the mentors, adjudicators, and AI4I coaches who guided us through the rigorous refinement process.
The Road Ahead
The bootcamp may be over, but the mission is just beginning. As part of our prize, our team will be incubated through the POTRAZ Innovation Drive at the National Innovation Acceleration Centre (NIAC).
Our next steps are clear: we are utilizing our implementation grant and Econet compute power to rigorously test our local language datasets and prepare Indimi for a live deployment pilot. We are moving from prototype to public policy.
The real work starts now.