27/05/2026
VEEP, CHINESE AMBASSADOR CALL FOR UNIFIED ACTION TO ADVANCE ALL INTELLIGENCE IN ZAMBIA AS SMART ZAMBIA, HUAWEI SIGN STRATEGIC MOU
LUSAKA, May 26th 2026 - Her Honour the Vice President of the Republic of Zambia, Dr. W.K. Mutale Nalumango, has officially opened the 2026 Zambia Mobile Congress at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka, declaring that Zambia has chosen to lead the digital revolution rather than follow it.
“The question before Zambia is not whether digital transformation will come. It will. The question is whether we will lead it or follow it. I am here today because our Government has chosen to lead,” Her Honour the Vice President said.
She has challenged the private sector to invest boldly, Government institutions to adopt digital systems with urgency, and young Zambians to step forward as creators and innovators.
“A digitally connected school is a transformed learning environment. A digitally connected clinic saves more lives. A digitally connected citizen is an empowered citizen,” Her Honour the Vice President said.
The Congress, held under the theme “Advancing All Intelligence in Zambia,”brought together the Chinese Ambassador to Zambia, His Excellency Mr. Han Jing, SMART Zambia Institute National Coordinator Mr. Percy Chinyama, Huawei Technologies Regional Vice President, Mr Chen Li and Government Chief Technical Officer Ms. Kasali Musenge.
Chinese Ambassador to Zambia, His Excellency Mr. Han Jing reaffirmed China’s commitment to supporting Zambia’s digital transformation agenda, stating that digital cooperation must focus on skills, knowledge sharing and local capacity.
“China welcomes and supports Zambia’s efforts to achieve Vision 2030. Technology must serve people, create jobs, and support young innovators,” Ambassador Han Jing said.
Speaking at the same event, SMART Zambia National Coordinator, Mr. Percy Chinyama announced that SMART Zambia Institute and Huawei Technologies Zambia have formalised a Strategic Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding, which commits to deploying Huawei’s cloud and Artificial Intelligence infrastructure within Zambia’s Government ecosystem.
He explained that key pillars of the MOU include technology transfer and AI deployment, a joint feasibility study for a National AI Data Centre on Zambian soil, training of 5,000 Zambian ICT professionals through Huawei’s ICT Academy by 2028, and AI-powered e-Government services across all 25 Ministries.
Mr. Chinyama also reported that under the Digital Zambia Acceleration Programme, 100 million United States dollars has been committed to laying 2,000 kilometres of new fibre optic cable, connecting 500 Government institutions and issuing 4 million digital identification documents by 2031.
And the Huawei Technologies Regional Vice President Mr Chen Li reaffirmed Huawei’s long-term commitment to Zambia, stating that connectivity must go beyond infrastructure to create opportunity for students, farmers, businesses and hospitals. “Technology alone is not enough. People are the true foundation of digital transformation. Young people must learn to build, manage, secure and innovate with technology,” the Huawei Vice President said.
And Government Chief Technology Officer (GCTO) Ms. Kasali Musenge emphasised that every AI system deployed within Government must integrate seamlessly with the national digital architecture, safeguard data sovereignty and be secure by design.
“Dependence on external technical expertise is a form of digital sovereignty risk. We must mitigate it deliberately and urgently,” Ms. Musenge said.
The 2026 Zambia Mobile Congress continues at Mulungushi International Conference Centre, charting the country’s path towards becoming an intelligent nation by 2030.
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