DevFest Harare 2026: Zimbabwe Steps Into the Agentic Era

We’ve all probably heard about the “agentic era” for some time now. It has been release after release of different forms of AI agents with new capabilities and specialties. But most of these are built for people in the U.S and other first world countries. I think it is important to ask what these agents mean, particularly in the Zim market. How can they help given the realities of our economy, environment and culture? Well Google Developer Group is hosting an event, DevFest, covering these issues. The event is taking place on the 24th of October. Just 2 days from now! And to be honest I think you should be there. Because I will!

The theme running through the whole agenda is AI agents: software that doesn’t just answer questions but actually does work. That’s the conversation happening in every tech company in the world right now. On DevFest day, Harare gets to have that conversation on its own terms, with speakers from across the continent who are building it for African realities.

The day is going to be seriously packed. It is expected to run from 08:00 to 16:00 with six sessions from Google Developer Experts coming in from Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia and South Africa, five local speakers, a talk from and a group discussion to close it out. So with that being said here’s what I’m really excited for.

• The Google talk.

  Allela from Google Southern Africa opens the day at 09:10. I want to hear what Google is actually planning for developers in this region, and Zimbabwe in particular.

• AI agents for African SMEs.

  James Mwai from Kenya is showing how small businesses can put agents to work using Google’s ADK. This is the talk I think business owners in Harare need to see. And I think there are a lot of questions needing answers for this one. Is it affordable for SMEs to actually do this? Do these agents truly bring value or they are just over hyped, etc

• USSD and voice workflows.

  Umar Faruq Zubairu from Nigeria is talking about USSD and voice, the technology that still reaches people without smartphones, which i think is quite useful in Zim.

• Third World Solutions for Third World Problems.

  Simon Muzariri’s title alone needs no further explanations. And as I had stated before most of the solutions being built in Silicon Valley are usually for the U.S. So basically we need to take things into our own hands.

• The group discussion.

  This one gives the audience the chance to lay down their opinions, ask questions and get answers. And I think this is a much more efficient way of learning and gives the chance to understand what you are being taught.

So what is my take on all of this? Well I have built apps and software myself so I’m looking at this agenda as someone who ships things, not just as someone who covers events. What excites me most is that this lineup isn’t copying Silicon Valley. Look at the topics: AI for SMEs, cutting cloud costs by running AI in the browser, USSD for people without smartphones, solving Third World problems with Third World solutions. These are talks about building for the continent we actually live on, where data is expensive, power is unreliable and most customers are small businesses.

I also think the timing matters. AI agents are moving fast, and there is a real risk that Africa ends up only consuming tools built elsewhere. A day like this is how we avoid that. When a student in Harare watches someone from Lusaka or Nairobi show a working agent, building one doesn’t feel like an impossible thing all of a sudden.

As a media partner, I’ll be there from setup to the group photo. Expect live stories through the day, interviews with the organisers and speakers, a highlight reel, and a full vlog of the day from my point of view.

If you’re a developer, a student, a founder or just curious about where AI is heading in Zimbabwe, come through. And if you can’t make it, follow along. I’ll bring the day to you.

See you at DevFest Harare.

October 24, 2026 , Harare Institute Of Technology, Harare

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