Chido Dzinotyiwei is using AI to strengthen the digital presence of African languages.
Chido Dzinotyiwei, a Zimbabwean economist and technology entrepreneur, has built her career around one central question: how can African languages be better represented in the digital world? Drawing on her academic background and experience across economics, youth development, and education technology, she co-founded Vambo AI, a multilingual platform that applies artificial intelligence to African languages. Her work reflects a growing effort across the continent to ensure that technological innovation does not leave local languages and the communities that use them behind.
Chido Dzinotyiwei studied at the University of Cape Town, where she completed a Bachelor of Commerce (Hon) in Economics and later a Master’s degree in Development Finance. During this period, she was selected as a Mandela Rhodes Scholar, an experience that exposed her to broader conversations around leadership, social development, and inequality.
Subsequently, she got involved in youth-centred initiatives and economic empowerment programmes, particularly those focused on improving access to education and opportunities for young people in underrepresented communities. These early commitments laid the groundwork for her later involvement in language and digital inclusion.
From Vambo Academy to Vambo AI
Before founding Vambo AI, Dzinotyiwei co-founded Vambo Academy, an education-technology platform designed to make African languages more accessible to learners. The platform offered structured lessons in languages such as isiZulu and ChiShona, addressing a gap in digital learning tools for African-language education.
Vambo AI grew out of this work. While the Academy focused on learning, the AI platform is aimed at building scalable technology solutions for African languages. The system incorporates generative AI tools that support text, translation, and other language-processing functions across a wide and growing number of African languages. The platform reported supporting more than 40 African languages with plans for further expansion.
The core motivation behind the venture is the lack of digital representation for most African languages. Although thousands of languages are spoken across the continent, only a fraction currently have adequate online resources or AI support. Vambo AI seeks to contribute to closing this gap.
Vambo AI’s tools can be used by educators, students, organisations, and individuals seeking to work or communicate in African languages. The platform’s potential applications include language learning, digital content creation, and translation support. Some versions of the platform provide voice and transcription features, although the extent of this depends on the specific language and available data.
Recognition and partnerships
Dzinotyiwei’s work has gained attention within the African technology ecosystem. Vambo AI received the 2025 Llama Impact Grant from Meta, which supports organisations building open-source AI tools. The platform has also been involved in partnerships aimed at developing large language models to better support African languages.
In addition, the founder has been recognised in various listings highlighting emerging African leaders and innovators. She has also been involved in policy-related forums and entrepreneurship networks, contributing to discussions on the role of technology in inclusive development.
The development of AI tools for African languages remains both promising and complex. Issues such as data scarcity, linguistic diversity, and technical resource constraints continue to shape the pace of progress. For Vambo AI, long-term success will depend not only on innovation but also on continued collaboration with linguists, educators, communities, and researchers.
