Zimbabwe Wants Citizen Feedback to Drive AI in Public Services

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Edgar Moyo has called for citizen satisfaction surveys to guide Zimbabwe’s adoption of artificial intelligence in government services, saying technology must be designed around the needs of the people it is intended to serve.

Moyo said AI could help government identify weaknesses in service delivery, analyse public feedback and prioritise interventions, but argued that citizen satisfaction surveys should first establish a baseline for measuring improvements.

Moyo was speaking in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he attended the UN Governance Innovation Summit, held under the theme “Advancing Future-Ready Institutions”.

He said AI adoption should be inclusive, with governments ensuring that technological advances do not leave vulnerable communities and sections of the population behind.

According to the ministry, Moyo said AI could help governments “analyse feedback, identify recurring service bottlenecks and prioritise improvements”.

In social welfare administration, he outlined potential applications including the analysis of verified programme records, improved case management and the use of information to anticipate demand for assistance.

The technology could also help government assess climate-related changes and use such information to guide outreach to communities requiring social support.

Moyo’s proposals point to a potential shift towards using data and predictive tools to inform the delivery of public assistance, although the ministry did not identify specific AI platforms or programmes earmarked for implementation.

The ministry said Zimbabwe’s participation at the summit provided an opportunity to identify a governance challenge, develop an innovative solution and establish partnerships to support its implementation.

“For Zimbabwe, the summit in Azerbaijan was a journey that provided the opportunity to define a challenge, co-create an innovative governance solution, build partnerships for the implementation of governance solutions and leave with a proposed implementation timeline,” the ministry said.