ZAMBIA TO BE REGIONAL HUB OF TECHNOLOGY-DON

Fri, 16 Feb 2018 08:31:47 +0000

By AARON CHIYANZO

ZAMBIA is set to be the technology hub of the region following a well spelt out partnership between the University of Zambia (UNZA) and one of the backbornes of technological innovations and research internationally, NIIT of India, says UNZA Vice Chancellor Luke Mumba.

Professor Mumba said NIIT was currently working with various international organisations which included NASA, Google, Microsoft and several united nation agencies.

He said at the launch of NIIT ICT programmes at UNZA yesterday that Zambia would soon have the necessary sophisticated skills in ICT that were currently lacking in the region following signing of a memorandum of understanding with a technology guru.

He pointed out that the world today had become digital and that every aspect of life was controlled and managed by technology.

Prof Mumba said that politics and economies were all managed by technology, adding that Zambia would now talking about e-agriculture;  e-tourism; e-transport; e-mining; e-commerce; e-health; e-education.

“Most if not all of these revolutionary technologies are developed by NIIT India. NIIT programmes have been domesticated by the government of India to an extent that they are offered in all learning institutions starting from kindergarten. This explains why India is the leading country in terms software development,” he said.

Meanwhile, UNZA Centre for Information and Communication Technology director, Collins Kachaka said that Zambia currently lacked professional IT personal.

Dr Kachaka said that even UNZA had not been offering courses that impart skills necessary for sophisticated technology advancement.

He however assured with the introduction of new courses in sophisticated technology, UNZA would produce graduates with skills in advanced technology never seen in Southern Africa.

Dr Kachaka said that UNZA would become a hub of advanced education in ICT, which he assured was in tandem with the much needed economic development.

And NIIT director Atul Shagotra assured that all of Zambia’s technological challenges would become a thing of the past with introduction of new courses in ICT to be handled by Indian experts.

Mr Shagotra said that Zambia would soon join a global village engulfed by sophisticated technological advancements.