LUSAKA, July 20 (Xinhua) — The World Bank on Friday pledged 100 million U.S. dollars to help Zambia speed up its digital infrastructure and increase access to the internet.
Managing Director and World Bank Group Chief Administrative Officer Zhang Wencai said the support will come through the Digital Zambia Acceleration Project to be financed under the International Development Association. During a courtesy call on Zambian Minister of Technology and Science Felix Mutati, Zhang said the project is aligned with the Zambian government’s priorities and will focus on expanding broadband infrastructure and services as well as deploying digital public infrastructure to improve efficiency in both the public and private sectors.
According to him, the project will support digitization in selected high-impact sectors, including the promotion of employable digital skills. The World Bank official further said a project implementation unit will be established within the state institution, SMART Zambia Institute, to spearhead cross-cutting government digitization initiatives. For his part, the Zambian minister thanked the World Bank for the support, saying the project will go a long way in promoting digitization in the country.
