Zimbabwe's digital transformation agenda is facing a structural contradiction: while nearly every household now owns a mobile phone and three-quarters have internet access, only one in every nine households owns a computer, raising fresh questions over whether the country can build the knowledge economy envisioned under National Development Strategy 2.

The latest Sector Performance Report shows that 96.4% of households own a mobile phone and 75.5% have internet access, but only 11.2% own a computer, with laptops accounting for 84.4% of those devices. The report also found that 92.2% of households access the internet through mobile handsets, underscoring Zimbabwe's growing dependence on smartphones as its primary digital tool.

The figures suggest that while internet connectivity is expanding, the hardware needed for software development, engineering, artificial intelligence, research, programming and digital manufacturing remains beyond the reach of most Zimbabweans.

The findings come at a time when the Government has identified digitalisation as a key pillar of industrialisation, economic transformation and public service delivery.

POTRAZ Director-General Gift Machengete described the report as a planning tool rather than merely a collection of statistics.

"This report is more than a collection of statistics; it is a roadmap for Zimbabwe's digital future.

Reliable data is essential for sound policy formulation, investment decisions and effective programme implementation."

He urged policymakers and industry players to use the findings to strengthen digital inclusion, improve digital skills and accelerate the country's digital transformation.

However, the report itself suggests that access alone is not translating into productive digital capability.

Although 31% of internet users now use artificial intelligence, with Meta AI accounting for 53.7% of AI usage and ChatGPT 29.1%, only 43.7% of Zimbabweans possess basic digital skills.

Education accounts for 91.5% of AI usage, indicating that while Zimbabweans are increasingly interacting with AI platforms, relatively few have the skills required to develop or commercialise such technologies.

ZIMSTAT Director-General Tafadzwa Bandama said the survey exposes inequalities that must shape future policy.

"The report highlights disparities in ICT access and use across provinces, rural and urban areas, age and gender groups, while also providing new insights into smartphone ownership and artificial intelligence adoption."

She urged the Government, development partners and the private sector to use the findings to expand affordable connectivity and narrow Zimbabwe's digital divide.

The World Bank has previously cautioned that internet access alone will not deliver economic transformation.

Launching the Zimbabwe Digital Economy Diagnostic, then World Bank Country Manager Mukami Kariuki said digital infrastructure must translate into economic productivity.

"A strong digital foundation is the key to the realization of Government's vision for smart government, agriculture, health, trade, commerce, education, transport and cities."

The World Bank's assessment concluded that despite progress in mobile connectivity and digital financial services, Zimbabwe is "capturing only a fraction of its digital transformation growth potential", arguing that weaknesses in digital skills, entrepreneurship, innovation and digital infrastructure continue to constrain economic growth.

World Bank Digital Development Specialist Jana Kunicova, who led the diagnostic, argued that digital transformation must be inclusive if it is to drive development.

"To truly reap the digital dividends, the new digital economy in Zimbabwe needs to be inclusive. This means ensuring everyone has the ability to access digital tools and services."

Yet the latest figures suggest that inclusion remains uneven.

While mobile phones have expanded access to banking, communication and online learning, experts argue that they cannot substitute for computers in producing software engineers, cybersecurity specialists, data scientists, digital designers or AI developers.

That distinction could prove decisive as Zimbabwe seeks to position itself within the Fourth and Fifth Industrial Revolutions.

Permanent Secretary for Higher and Tertiary Education Professor Fanuel Tagwira has previously argued that higher education institutions must produce graduates capable of driving innovation and economic productivity rather than merely increasing enrolment.

His remarks align with growing concern that Zimbabwe's education system may struggle to supply the advanced digital workforce required by industry if households remain largely without computers.

The figures also expose a widening productivity gap.

While nearly every Zimbabwean household can connect to the internet, very few possess the computing power needed to write software, analyse large datasets, build artificial intelligence models, design engineering systems or undertake advanced scientific research.

The implication is that Zimbabwe may be succeeding in creating millions of internet users without creating enough digital producers.