Zambia Eyes Ethiopia’s Model for National Digital ID Rollout
Zambia plans to adopt Ethiopia’s digital ID model while promoting local tech solutions for education access and nationwide public service delivery.
Smart Zambia National Coordinator, Mr. Percy Chinyama, has disclosed that Zambia is looking to emulate Ethiopia in implementing its national digital identification system.
Speaking during the Africa Innovation Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Mr. Chinyama noted that Zambia is particularly interested in the Ethiopian model because it was developed using a home-built system.
He emphasized that the Zambian Government is also shifting away from proprietary systems in favor of locally developed solutions.
He highlighted the Ministry of Education’s Learning Management Platform as an example of a successful home-built system, designed to provide all Zambians with access to the new education curriculum and general education resources.
Mr. Chinyama stressed that ensuring access to education for all, regardless of socio-economic status, remains one of President Hakainde Hichilema’s key priorities.
He also revealed that Smart Zambia has launched a program aimed at solarizing all local councils across the country. This initiative will ensure uninterrupted 24/7 online access to public services for citizens, regardless of location.
Supporting the remarks, Dr. Benson Banda, Director of the National Science Centre under the Ministry of Education, reported that over 5,000 teachers across more than 84 districts have already accessed the National Learning Management Platform.
He stated that the platform addresses concerns surrounding the new curriculum by making it easily accessible through smartphones.
Meanwhile, Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, Mrs. Rose Sakala, commended Smart Zambia for its ongoing efforts to strengthen data security within government institutions.
