Hakainde Hichilema tells ICT sector to drive Zambia growth
Zambia’s president just told the entire ICT sector to stop being a sideshow and start acting like the backbone of economic transformation.
Hichilema wants tech driving everything
- President Hakainde Hichilema spoke at the 2026 ICTAZ Tech Conference.
- AI helped discover a copper deposit worth over $2 billion.
- Zambia targets 3 million metric tons of annual copper output.
- ICT got framed as a cross-sector enabler, not a standalone industry.
Agricultural productivity is embarrassingly low
- Current crop yields sit under two tons per hectare.
- Precision irrigation could push output to seven to ten tons.
- Expanding production without grabbing more farmland is the goal.
- Hichilema tied food security directly to digital tools.
Government itself needs a digital overhaul
- Excessive paperwork and memos slow down public-service delivery.
- Revenue collection at the local level remains wildly inefficient.
- Tech-based systems could boost revenue without raising taxes.
- Free universal education has already brought 2.5 million kids back to school.
Mutati laid out the $60 billion digital roadmap
- Felix Mutati pegged digital consumption as the key economic driver.
- Fiber-optic coverage tripled from 15,000 to 45,000 kilometers.
- Internet usage needs to jump from 40% to roughly 80%.
- Free public Wi-Fi initiatives are on the horizon.
Capital markets are showing digital confidence
- A tech company oversubscribed by 114% on the Lusaka Securities Exchange.
- Mutati argued that capital exists, but access needs a better structure.
- Import-duty removal on digital infrastructure fueled connectivity growth.
- Disciplined, methodical digital transformation remains the mantra.
