2nd Huawei Mobile Mini Congress Takes Off As Government Calls for More Partnerships in the ICT Sector

Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening partnerships and collaborations with the private sector to advance the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry in Zambia.

Ministry of Technology and Science Minister Felix Mutati said technology has become the centre of every country’s economic development and as such, Zambia is determined to unlock its potential in ICT industry.

Mr. Mutati observed that accelerating growth of the country’s ICT industry requires strong and trusted partnerships, hence calling on more partners to get on board.

The Minister said this in a speech delivered on his behalf by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Dr. Brilliant Habeenzu at the 2nd Huawei Mobile Mini Congress held in Lusaka, under the theme “Accelerating Zambia’s ICT Industry And Advancing The intelligent World”.

And Mr. Mutati also hailed Huawei for being a key partner not only to Government but other ICT players in the country.

“We have partnered with Huawei to establish the Digital Talent Development Programme to a tune of K20 Million donated under Hakainde Hichilema Innovation Fund, a talent programme aimed at accelerating the developing ICT talent,” Mr Mutati said.

He further mentioned that Government has put in place the ICT Policy and The Digital Transformation Agenda which serve as the overarching frameworks to promote the growth of the ICT sector.

“We need to strengthen the supportive policies and regulations that encourage investments, competition and innovation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Huawei President for Carrier Business in the Southern Africa Region, Samuel Chen assured Government of strengthened collaborations aimed at accelerating the implementation of projects in energy solutions, smart education, mining and rural connectivity among others.

Mr. Chen noted that Zambia has the potential to roll out solar solutions in order to cushion the electricity demand amidst the energy deficit and load-shedding being experienced.

“It is a land of plenty sun and our partnerships in terms of rolling out solar projects would go a long way in terms of helping the situation. The current situation will also require us to make strategic investments in cost effective energy solutions but also extend connectivity to rural areas, in order to bridge the digital divide,” Mr. Chen said.

He also indicated that through the congress Zambia is being introduced to solutions and products that directly speak to its unique and immediate needs as well as making it competitive in the global ICT industry.

“The event provides us with an immense opportunity to showcase a wide range of technologies ranging from 5G, 5.5G, green development solutions, premium and intelligent ultra-band connectivity, digital and intelligent transformation and many more solutions” he explained.

Mr. Chen further commended government for relentless commitment towards building a digital economy and its support for various connectivity projects.

The Mini Mobile Congress is an off-shoot of the Mobile World Congress, an annual event held in Barcelona, Spain.

It brings together all industry captains so as to highlight trends and insights on how technology is evolving world over, and how every country or institutions can benefit from it depending on what they need.

This year marks the second time the Mini-Mobile Congress is being held in Zambia. The first one was last year held under the theme “Lighting up ICTs for Zambia’s Digital Future”.