“What a privilege it was to speak at the launch of the Digital Skills Development for Green Jobs and Entrepreneurship Programme!” declared Myles Matarise, a communications and digital marketing consultant, content creator and documentary filmmaker.
The initiative born of a partnership between SNV and Tofara Online Trust, with support from the Embassy of Sweden in Zimbabwe (Sida) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation marks a decisive investment in Zimbabwe’s future. It aims to equip 90 young people in Harare, Bulawayo and Mutare with sought-after skills in digital marketing and artificial intelligence, preparing them for opportunities in agri-foods, clean energy and other emerging green sectors.
Matarise’s address to the cohort was personal yet purposeful. His message centred on the importance of finding one’s “why”, a sense of direction strong enough to sustain ambition through setbacks.
“My problem became my purpose,” he explained, recalling how digital marketing transformed his life by turning a challenge into an opportunity.
The programme does not only transfer technical know-how. As Matarise told the young participants, “the world pays for problems you can solve, not just for what you know.” He urged them to value networks and mentorship as levers for growth, reminding them that “your network is your net worth” and that trusted advisors can “open doors you never knew existed.”
Equally striking was his emphasis on mental resilience. “Remember that mental health is a superpower,” he said. “Taking time to care for your mind allows you to stay resilient and show up as your best self every day.”
For Zimbabwe’s aspiring entrepreneurs, these lessons resonate beyond the classroom. The digital economy is no longer a distant frontier; it is a fast-moving reality where skills, networks and resilience matter as much as innovation itself.
Matarise closed with gratitude to the teams making the programme possible. “A huge thank you to the teams at SNV, the Embassy of Sweden in Zimbabwe (Sida), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and colleagues at Tofara Online Trust for making this vital program a reality. Your commitment to youth empowerment is inspiring.”
This collaboration signals more than training it is an early blueprint of how international partnerships, local expertise and youth ambition can converge to shape Africa’s entrepreneurial future.
Zimbabwe’s Digital Ecosystem in 2025
To understand why this programme matters, one must appreciate the broader digital landscape in Zimbabwe:
- Mobile penetration is very high: there are about 15.2 million cellular mobile connections, equivalent to approximately 90.6% of the population.
- Internet access is growing, but still uneven: active internet users numbered ≈ 6.45 million, which is around 38.4% of the population in early 2025.
- Data traffic is surging: mobile internet/data traffic increased 17.3% from Q4 2024 to Q1 2025 (from ~97.19 petabytes to ~114.02 PB).
- Businesses are online: a survey by POTRAZ and ZimStat in 2023-24 showed 94.2% of institutions use the internet; among the uses are receiving orders (62.1%), placing orders (59.8%), sending or receiving email (94.8%), social media (88.4%).
- Infrastructure is advancing: 5G base station deployment is underway, with two of the three licensed mobile operators now offering 5G. Satellite connectivity (e.g. Starlink) has been licensed offering potential to cover hard-to-reach areas.
