AIRTEL COMMITS US$100 MILLION TO ZAMBIA INVESTMENT, PROPOSES 10 MILLION SMARTPHONES
By Alain kabinda
LUSAKA – Airtel Zambia has committed to invest a further US$100 million in the country this year and proposed a national initiative to make 10 million additional smartphones available over the next five years to accelerate digital inclusion and economic growth.
The investment commitment comes as the telecommunications company seeks to expand network infrastructure, improve service quality and support the Government's Grow Zambia Agenda, which aims to double the economy within the next five years.
Speaking during a Grow Zambia Breakfast Meeting hosted at Airtel Zambia Airtel Zambia Managing Director Mr. Hussam Baday said the company had invested more than US$100 million in the previous year and was targeting a similar amount in the current year.
Mr Baday said the investments would support network expansion and other infrastructure development, particularly as demand for reliable connectivity and digital services continued to grow.
He said Airtel's population coverage currently stood at approximately 93 per cent, with the company targeting 96 per cent within two years through further expansion, particularly in rural areas.
He disclosed that approximately 20 per cent of Airtel's network sites were 5G-enabled, with plans to extend coverage and increase network capacity.
Mr Baday said the company's contribution to the economy went beyond telecommunications, as digital connectivity supported productivity and business growth across agriculture, mining, education, healthcare, financial services and tourism.
He identified affordable smartphones as one of the major barriers preventing citizens from fully benefiting from expanding broadband infrastructure.
Citing figures attributed to the latest Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority report, Mr Baday said Zambia had approximately 27 million telecommunications connections, of which about 12.4 million were smartphones.
He warned that maintaining the existing annual growth rate of approximately three percentage points would only raise penetration to about 60 per cent within five years, leaving a significant gap against the country's digital inclusion ambitions.
Mr Baday therefore proposed a coordinated effort involving Government, mobile network operators, financial institutions and development partners to make 10 million additional smartphones available over the next five years.
He suggested that the initiative could include making entry-level devices more affordable through consideration of tax-related measures, expanding device-financing arrangements and developing targeted programmes for low-income households, farmers and women in rural communities.
He said affordable smartphones should be treated as part of the country's digital infrastructure alongside telecommunications towers and broadband networks.
Mr. Baday also highlighted opportunities to deepen financial inclusion, noting that although national financial inclusion stood at approximately 80 per cent, access in rural areas remained significantly lower, at around 22 per cent.
He said expanding mobile money and digital financial services could help underserved communities access financial opportunities and participate more effectively in the economy.
Mr Baday said Airtel was working with UNICEF to connect 300 schools, with plans to increase the number to 500 by the end of the financial year.
He also expressed the company's readiness to support Government's digital transformation through integration with platforms such as ZamPortal and the Government Service Bus.
Meanwhile, Minister of Technology and Science Felix Mutati commended Airtel for its investment in telecommunications infrastructure, particularly the deployment of 407 towers during the previous year.
Mr Mutati described the achievement as the highest number of telecommunications towers delivered in Zambia in a single year and acknowledged the company's increased tax contribution to Government revenue.
He, however, called on telecommunications operators to strengthen collaboration in developing shared infrastructure and expanding the overall market, while maintaining competition in service quality.
The Minister said competition had contributed to increased network coverage, investment and the introduction of technologies such as 5G, but collaboration was necessary to accelerate the country's digital transformation.
He stressed that the ambition of increasing broadband access to 80 per cent within five years needed to be matched by efforts to ensure that citizens could afford smartphones.
Mr Mutati said access to affordable devices would enable more people to use digital Government services, including online payment platforms, and participate in the wider digital economy.
He urged telecommunications operators to align their investment plans with national development priorities, saying the sector had a critical role in supporting economic growth, employment and productivity.
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