Felix Mutati, Zambia's minister of science and technology.

The Zambian government has welcomed the support of Huawei in driving digital transformation in the Southern African country.

Felix Mutati, the country’s Minister of Science and Technology, gave the commendation at a meeting with executives from the technology company in the capital Lusaka this week.

He particularly welcomed the support to the President Hakainde Hichilema Innovation Fund (HHIF), which aims to unearth ICT talent in tertiary institutions.

In 2023, Huawei sponsored 50 students in various colleges and universities to China under the Seeds for the Future Programme.

“These youths came back home changed and have learnt the Chinese way of doing things,” Mutati said.

The minister said Hichilema’s government was determined to leverage technology and ensure it delivered development for the country’s people.

“We are in an aggressive drive to lay out digital infrastructure because we are convinced that technology brings down the cost of doing business,” he added.

Last year, Huawei and the government signed the four-year Digital Innovation Leadership Programme.

The programme focuses on government’s agenda of accelerating digital transformation through skills training and development.