Zimbabwe set to gain from China AI and digital archives partnership

Zimbabwe set to gain from China AI and digital archives partnership

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Zimbabwe is among several African countries expected to benefit from a new technical cooperation programme with China focused on building artificial intelligence (AI) skills and upgrading the preservation of national archives through advanced digital technologies.

The programme is intended to train professionals in AI while supporting the digitisation, restoration and long-term preservation of historical audiovisual material, including audio, photographs and video that have been affected by ageing and deterioration.

The initiative comes as China expands the use of AI tools to restore degraded archives, such as reducing background noise in audio recordings, improving blurred images and repairing scratches and other damage found in old film and tape.

Journalists from the Global South recently toured a Chinese museum, the AI-Generated Content Exhibition Centre and the Beijing Radio and Television Station (BRTB) Audiovisual Convergence Centre in Beijing, where they were shown how AI is being applied to preserve historical content.

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Speaking to media officials and journalists, Senior Engineer at the Academy of Broadcasting Science under China’s National Radio and Television Administration, Liu Chenming, said China is widening cooperation with developing countries facing similar archival challenges.

“Over the course of history, nations around the world have accumulated vast troves of AV materials. These carry each nation’s memory, representing humanity’s shared cultural heritage. Vast quantities of precious footage still exist in analog tapes and film reels. Limited preservation conditions lead to quality degradation and media deterioration. The preservation window is closing fast, and irreversible physical decay continues to erode audiovisual memory. join us in our journey towards preserving archives, elevating content quality and developing local talent,” Liu said.

China has already introduced the Digital Restoration and Enhancement of Archives and Media (DREAM) initiative in several developing countries following its launch in Egypt. In Senegal, the China–Senegal Joint Laboratory is working on intelligent historical archive restoration, audiovisual production and media asset management.

Benin has also partnered with Chinese AI specialists, who reportedly installed eight professional equipment systems, trained local engineers and restored hours of nationally significant video content. In East Africa, the Academy of Broadcasting Science is working with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation to provide on-site AI training for broadcasting personnel.

For Zimbabwe, the programme is being presented as an opportunity as the country steps up efforts to preserve liberation history, cultural artefacts and intangible heritage using digital technologies. The initiative also aligns with the ongoing construction of the Museum of African Liberation at Heritage Village in Harare, where AI tools could support the preservation and enhancement of historical collections.

Zimbabwe and China have existing cooperation in areas including infrastructure development, such as the Parliament Building in Mt Hampden, the expansion of the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport and the Hwange Thermal Power Station Units 7 and 8.

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