ABOUT K169 billion mobile money transactions and 20.2 million mobile cellular subscriptions have been recorded as of December, last year.
This is to ensure facilitation of the fourth industrial revolution on rates technological innovation, according to Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA).
In December 2021, ZICTA also posted mobile cellular penetration rate of 110 per cent, internet penetration rate of 57 per cent and the cyber security index 68.8 per cent respectively.
Science and Technology Minister Felix Mutati indicated that the Government had put aside K22 million in the budget to support innovation in the country.
Mr Mutati said that there was need for Zambians to be innovative in order to assist the Government in transforming the telecommunication sector by embracing digital innovations.
He said on Sunday evening during a ZICTA networking cocktail meeting during the Agricultural and Commercial Show which ended in Lusaka yesterday.
The Show was held under the theme, ‘Innovation through technology-technology transforms businesses’.
Mr Mutati said innovation was key to economic growth and needed to be embraced.
He said he was happy that ZICTA was facilitating the growth of digital transactions through the promotion of various innovations.
“Avoid fraudsters, ZICTA has demobilised 2.1 million sim cards and trained about 800 cyber security officers to curb cybercrimes,” he said.
“This year’s Agriculture and Commercial show is good because it showed that through innovation. we can transform our telecommunication sector,” Mr Mutati said.
ZICTA acting director general Pethel Phiri said that under the Universal Access and Service, the communications regulator had connected learning institution programmes and so far, 10,102 computers have been donated to 514 learning institutions (schools and colleges) in the recent past.
Ms Phiri said 9,320 computers had been donated to 500 examination centers. She added that ZICTA had put up around 25 towers in the country’s 10 provinces