Techbytes: Zambia targets digital hub status as govt signs AI partnership with Huawei

Vice-President, Mutale Nalumango, says Zambia is determined to move from being a spectator in the global technological revolution to becoming an active participant by transforming into a regional digital hub. Speaking on Tuesday, during the Zambia Mobile Congress 2026 held under the theme “Advancing All Intelligence in Zambia,” Nalumango said the country had chosen to shape its own intelligent future instead of lagging behind global technological trends. “We are living in what historians will one day describe as the most consequential technological moment in human civilisation.

“Artificial intelligence, fifth-generation connectivity, cloud computing and digital power are no longer distant theoretical concepts. They are active instruments of national transformation,” she said. Her remarks came as Smart Zambia Institute signed a Strategic Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huawei Technologies Zambia aimed at transitioning the country from an e-government model to what officials described as an “intelligent government.” The partnership will see the deployment of AI-powered public services across all 25 government ministries, establishment of cloud and AI infrastructure, and training of 5,000 Zambian ICT professionals by 2028 through Huawei’s global academy programme.

Nalumango said the agreement marked a major milestone in Zambia’s digital transformation agenda and demonstrated the value of purposeful international cooperation. “This is what meaningful international partnership looks like — purposeful, development-oriented, results-driven and aligned with our national vision,” she said. She added that the MoU would also support co-investment in a local facility to ensure Zambia’s intelligence economy operates on local infrastructure.

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The Vice-President stressed that technological advancements should directly benefit ordinary citizens and contribute to human development across the country. She said digital transformation must positively impact communities, including farmers in Lundazi, nurses in Mansa, students in Mongu, entrepreneurs in Kitwe and young innovators in Chipata. Nalumango argued that digitally connected clinics, schools and businesses had the potential to improve healthcare delivery, transform learning and expand market opportunities for small enterprises. She further urged stakeholders to invest in human capital with the same commitment directed towards infrastructure development, noting that the future digital economy would depend on local software engineers, data scientists and cybersecurity specialists.

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