ZAI – Zimbabwe Association of Inventors was founded on 13 October 2001 by a handful of inventors with the support of the Patent Office (now Zimbabwe Intellectual Property Office (ZIPO) – Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs; the Ministry of Industry and Trade; the African Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO); the Scientific and Industrial Research Development Centre (SIRDC); the University of Zimbabwe (UZ); the law firm Honey and Blackenberg and BW Kahari Legal Practitioners– all who comprised the IP Expo Trust. The Zimbabwe Association of Inventors – ZAI – now works as a Non-Statutory Supporting Agency of the Ministry of Science and Technology Development (MSTD). It is a member of the International Federation of Inventors Associations (IFIA) whose headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland and works closely with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a UN specialized Agency on technology based in Switzerland.

To bring together inventors on the continent for purposes of promoting invention and increasing industrialization.

• To improve the living standards of our people through fostering invention by organizing, guiding and promoting new and old inventors in Zimbabwe.
• To promote national economic growth and employment creation through the commercialization of inventions and creation of new industries.
• To encourage invention for sustainable economic growth.