By Portia Muzorava
The Economic Justice for Women Project (EJWP), in partnership with the Southern Africa Trust, last week convened an Artificial Intelligence (AI) workshop in Zimbabwe to help young women from marginalised communities shape a more inclusive and gender-equitable digital future.
Held as part of the Feminist AI Futures Lab, the workshop brought together participants from Chitungwiza, Hopley, Mberengwa, Kadoma, Bikita, Goromonzi, Chipinge and Mutare to build their understanding of emerging technologies and examine how AI can advance economic justice and gender equality.
The convening formed part of a wider programme targeting EJWP Community Action Hubs in Mberengwa, Shurugwi, Goromonzi, Chipinge, Buhera, Bikita, Hopley, Chitungwiza and greater Harare, underscoring the organisation’s effort to ensure that young women are included in debates shaping the future of technology.
The convening sought to strengthen young women’s capacity to integrate and effectively use AI while encouraging them to critically examine the role of technology in shaping their lives, communities and economic opportunities.
Participants explored key questions, including who AI is designed for, who benefits from it, and what a feminist digital future should look like. They also discussed the impact of AI on social reproduction, women’s voices in communities, surveillance and the reproduction of gender inequalities.
The training was facilitated by Karen Mukwasi of the Pada Platform, a technical expert in feminist technology.
Mukwasi said feminist technology should place women and marginalised communities at the centre of digital development.
“AI must not be treated as a technology that is designed only for those who already have power and access. A feminist approach requires us to ask whose voices are included, whose experiences are reflected in the technology and who may be left behind. Young women must be supported to become users, creators and decision-makers in the digital future.”
EJWP Executive Director Margaret Mutsamvi said the training was an important step towards ensuring that young women were not excluded from conversations about technological advancement.
“The future of work, education, communication and community development is increasingly connected to digital technologies. It is therefore important that young women, particularly those from marginalised communities, are equipped with the knowledge and confidence to use AI effectively. We want them to benefit from these technologies while also challenging systems that may deepen existing inequalities.”
Mutsamvi added that the training was also intended to promote responsible and inclusive use of AI.
“AI should be a tool for empowerment, not another mechanism for control, exclusion or surveillance. Our work is to ensure that women’s rights, safety, voices and lived experiences remain central as digital technologies continue to develop.”
For many participants, the workshop provided an opportunity to learn how AI could be used in advocacy, communication, research, entrepreneurship and community mobilisation.
Epiphania Mabikwa, a community leader from the EJWP Goromonzi Community Action Hub, said the training had helped participants appreciate the opportunities and challenges associated with AI.
“This training has opened our eyes to the possibilities of AI and how we can use it to improve our work and our communities. As young women, we need to understand these technologies so that we can participate in shaping the future rather than being left behind. AI should be a tool that empowers women, amplifies our voices and creates opportunities for us.”
The workshop also highlighted concerns around the digital divide, including the cost of data, limited access to devices, inadequate digital literacy, online gender-based violence and the risk of women’s voices being excluded from technology development.
Participants agreed that AI and digitalisation could create new economic opportunities for women through access to information, online learning, digital entrepreneurship, content creation, networking and improved access to markets.
However, they noted that these opportunities would only be meaningful if women had affordable internet access, digital skills, protection from online abuse and opportunities to participate in decision-making processes.
The Feminist AI Futures Lab is expected to continue creating spaces where young women can question existing digital systems and develop a vision of technology that is inclusive, accountable and responsive to the needs of women and marginalised communities.
