Located near Harare's international airport, the planned 800 acre tech hub is designed to be a completely self sufficient ecosystem for international and local investors. Strive Masiyiwa describes the project as a "city within a city" that eliminates traditional bureaucratic and operational hurdles.
The facility will provide pre-configured infrastructure, including reliable power, water, fiber connectivity, and centralized administrative services. For optimal operational efficiency and safety, the site will feature continuous manned guarding, comprehensive CCTV surveillance, and aerial drone monitoring.
To address foundational compute and energy deficits across the continent, Econet is partnering with global tech leader NVIDIA to build high-performance computing environments known as "AI factories". These facilities will handle machine learning and data-intensive workloads locally, reducing the region's reliance on offshore cloud providers. This localized infrastructure is positioned to support key sectors such as agriculture, mining, and healthcare.
Alongside the physical and compute infrastructure, Econet is launching a fintech layer in collaboration with a U.S.-based firm. This joint venture focuses on driving the adoption of blockchain-backed stablecoins across African markets. The core goal is to solve persistent cross-border transaction inefficiencies, address currency instability, and lower remittance costs.
The everyday operations of the tech hub will be managed by Econet InfraCo, a standalone infrastructure platform. This entity consolidates Econet Wireless Zimbabwe's telecommunications towers, renewable energy systems, and strategic real estate to ensure the city runs seamlessly.
Once completed, Econet Tech City is expected to accommodate approximately 300 businesses and create over 20,000 jobs, positioning it as a major catalyst for Zimbabwe's digital industrialization. Masiyiwa noted that while the physical site could be completed within two years, government incentives will be crucial to successfully compete with other continental tech hubs like Lagos, Cape Town, Nairobi, and Kigali.
