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The Zambian government has commended the Czech Republic for its support towards Zambia’s digital inclusion agenda through scholarships and technical collaboration in Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Cybersecurity.
Minister of Technology and Science, Felix Mutati, said Zambia had made significant strides in digital development with the help of international partners such as the Czech Republic.
He noted that Zambia was among the few African countries to have published an Artificial Intelligence strategy and rolled out 5G technology.
Mutati was speaking in Lusaka on Friday during a courtesy call by Czech Republic Deputy Prime Minister Marian Jureka.
“As we continue our cooperation with the Czech Republic, we have prioritized several areas under our Digital Zambia initiative,” Mutati said.
He stated that: “We have created an enabling environment through key legislation, policies, and strategies to support this vision.”
He added that Zambia was leveraging satellite technology to improve national connectivity, while also emphasizing the need to build trust and confidence in cyberspace.
“Our next phase is focused on developing tools to address cybersecurity threats. Cooperation with the Czech Republic will be vital in creating solutions to protect citizens online, which remains a top priority,” he stated.
Mutati also revealed government’s intent to digitise public records and suggested this as another area for collaboration between the two countries.
In response, Deputy Prime Minister Jureka pledged Czech Republic’s continued support for technology transfer and capacity building, specifically in the areas of data management, data processing, and cybersecurity.
He said the focus would be on helping Zambia enhance central administration and public resource management across its 10 provinces.
“Before coming here, we discussed the digital transformation in sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and education. Digitalization can bring substantial benefits across many ministries,” Jureka said.
He also highlighted the potential of AI to enhance public administration, while cautioning about the associated risks.
Jureka shared that digitalization and AI integration had enabled his ministry in the Czech Republic to reduce its workforce by 10 percent while delivering faster and more efficient services.
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