Zambia plans inclusive DPI development, joins 50-in-5 campaign

The southern African nation of Zambia is the latest country to join the 50-in-5 campaign, an initiative whose target is to marshal the development of safe, inclusive and interoperable digital public infrastructure (DPI) by at least 50 countries in the next five years.

SMART Zambia Institute — the unit under the office of the country’s president responsible for digital government services – announced the membership in a press release last week.

The Institute said joining the campaign underscores the country’s desire to accelerate progress towards attaining the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Percy Chinyama, the Institute’s national coordinator, said Zambia’s participation in the 50-in-5 initiative “reflects our dedication to leapfrogging our digital transformation journey and ensuring that all Zambians benefit from modernization.”

“It underscores our commitment to transforming our digital landscape and providing modern, efficient and accessible public services to all citizens. This aligns with Zambia’s aspiration of becoming a prosperous middle-income nation as outlined in our Vision 2030. A connected Zambia is a smart Zambia,” he adds.

Like other countries which are part of the initiative, Zambia hopes it will enable it build digital ID, digital payments and data exchange infrastructure that will ensure the seamless delivery of services across sectors including food security, financial inclusion, social protection and the economic emancipation of women.

The 50-in-5 campaign was launched last November with 11 first-mover countries off the blocks. Over time, the membership has swelled with Lesotho being the last country to join in, before Zambia.

Zambia recently digitized the civil registration records of about seven million citizens, and it March, it diverted money initially budgeted for the country’s digital ID project to deal with drought emergencies.

Article Topics

50-in-5  |  Africa  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital public infrastructure  |  SDG 16.9  |  UNDP  |  Zambia