Zambia obtains World Bank funding support to advance DPI implementation

Zambia has secured funding to the tune of $120 million from the World Bank’s Digital Development Partnership to carry on with the implementation of its digital public infrastructure (DPI) agenda.

The country’s Minister of Science and Technology, Felix Mutati, disclosed the information on March 18 in the United States where he is leading the Zambian delegation at the Global Digital Summit in Washington, DC. He was speaking after paying a courtesy call on the Zambian Ambassador to the United States, Chibamba Kanyama.

According to a post on the ministry’s Facebook page, the funds will enable the country drive its digital transformation by developing and boosting the use of AI, enhancing connectivity and encouraging digital skills acquisition, among other things.

The funding will complement the digital transformation efforts already being made by the country within the framework of the Digital Zambia Acceleration Project (DZAP) for which the World Bank has provided funding. Last year, Zambia obtained a $100 million grant from the World Bank to build a digital ecosystem that will facilitate the delivery of public services for citizens.

During the meeting, Mutati highlighted the importance of digital transformation for the country’s digital economy growth, and underlined the importance of effective collaboration between government and the private sector.

“Technology will save you on time, efficiency, and accuracy. That’s what we understand as technology, and its spillover effect is huge. In order to move forward, we needed to engage with the private sector,” Mutati said.

“If we remove import duty on digital infrastructure, you are going to expand connectivity. And with the expansion of connectivity, you are now going to be able to generate the revenue that is required.”

In January, The SMART Zambia Institute (SMART Zambia) – the government body leading the country’s digital transformation program – announced that tenders for different aspects of the DZAP will be published in due course.

Zambia is in the “strategy and design” phase of its DPI implementation, and last year, some World Bank experts advised the country to watch out for certain potential risks so as to “design inclusive and safe processes, build trust in the system, and actively engage all players and partners for streamlined and efficient coordination.”

As part of efforts to make progress in the building of its DPI, Zambia also joined the 50-in-5 campaign which is an initiative aimed at enabling countries share knowledge and resources to build at least one component of safe, secure and interoperable DPI in the next four to five years.

Article Topics

Africa  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital public infrastructure  |  funding  |  SMART Zambia  |  U.S. Government  |  Zambia