The Zambian government wants to work with the private sector to strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure, recognizing its crucial role in accelerating technological advancements and driving economic growth. The initiative is expected to improve government services.
Percy Chinyama, National Coordinator of the Smart Zambia Digital Transformation Institute, discussed partnership opportunities in this area with a delegation from Airtel Africa. It was led by Oliver Fortuin, CEO of Airtel Business Africa, and Lindiwe Banda, Chief Business Officer of Airtel Zambia. The government did not specify what infrastructure it plans to partner with the private sector on. However, it could include telecom towers, fibre optics, data centres, etc.
Currently, the United Nations has given a score of 0.5088 out of 1 on the telecom infrastructure index that is part of the e-Government Development Index (EGDI). Furthermore, the government highlights deficits in the national digital infrastructure in the “National Digital Transformation Strategy 2023–2027.”.
These include limited investment in rural areas. This contrasts with a duplication of infrastructure, such as fiber optic networks, observed in urban areas. According to data from the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA), only 83 of the country’s 116 districts have fiber optic points of presence.
Furthermore, the executive believes that Zambia’s current infrastructure is not suited to emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and the exploitation of big data. For example, most telecom sites are still on 2G, a technology with limited capacities, hampering the development of the digital sector in a rapidly changing technological environment.
Strengthening telecom infrastructure could accelerate Zambia’s digital transformation, with the country scoring 0.5424 out of 1 on the UN e-Government Development Index, ranking 130 out of 193, below the global average of 0.6382. However, low internet adoption remains a barrier to people’s participation in the digital economy. According to the ITU, Zambia’s internet penetration rate was 31.2%, with a population estimated at 20.7 million by the World Bank in 2023.
Source: Agency EcoFin
