Zambia unveils artificial intelligence strategy to drive digital transformation

Zambia has launched a groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy aimed at accelerating the country’s digital transformation, enhancing public services, and fostering economic growth.

The initiative was unveiled by Felix Mutati, the Minister of Technology and Science, during a ceremony in Lusaka. He emphasized the transformative potential of AI technology in creating wealth, generating jobs, and expediting Zambia’s shift towards a technology-driven economy.

“AI technology is a catalyst for global economic paradigm shifts. We must create an enabling environment to achieve a digital revolution,” Minister Mutati said.

The strategy focuses on leveraging AI to streamline public service delivery, ensuring efficiency and reducing redundancy. It also aims to foster innovation, improve education, and advance sectors such as health and agriculture.

Minister Mutati commended local experts and international collaborators, including Finland and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, for their contributions to the initiative. He outlined the strategy’s five key pillars: enhancing connectivity through “digital trees,” ensuring reliable data, building trust and confidence in cyberspace, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, and strengthening partnerships.

Zambia’s AI Strategy places the country among a select group of African nations with a comprehensive plan to harness AI for national development.