Govt tasks Hobbiton to lead formation of technology advisory panel

By BUUMBA CHIMBULU

GOVERNMENT has tasked Hobbiton Investments Limited with spearheading the formation of a ministerial technology advisory panel in the next 30 days aimed at accelerating digital transformation and improving public service delivery.

Technology and Science Minister Felix Mutati said the panel would bring together stakeholders from the public and private sectors to share ideas and develop solutions that support the country’s development agenda.

Speaking during a Hobbiton Technologies breakfast networking meeting in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Mutati said effective digital transformation required a coordinated approach between Government and private sector players.

He said Government was prioritising the use of digital technologies under the new legislative framework to improve public service delivery, reduce inefficiencies and ensure that development programmes were guided by reliable data.

Mr Mutati said advancing the five key priorities of identity, interoperability, intelligence, infrastructure and inclusivity required collaboration, adding that Government could not achieve digital transformation alone.

“Through technology-focused policies, we are addressing how best to improve the efficiency of government service delivery, ranging from home data to social support systems.

To move the five I’s, there is need for collaboration because Government is not a monopoly of wisdom,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hobbiton Investment Management Limited Chief Executive Officer Mimi Lungu said sustained economic transformation would remain difficult if the majority of citizens were excluded from the formal financial system.

Ms Lungu said national growth required capital formation, which could be achieved through savings and investment at grassroots level.

She said the company established Patumba, an investment platform managed by Hobbiton Investment Management, to broaden access to financial services by allowing people to start investing with as little as K1.

“Patumba had surpassed K500 million in assets under management, supported by more than 2.5 million registered Zambian accounts since its establishment,” Ms Lungu said.

She said the company was targeting to double its assets under management to K1 billion by 2027.

Hobbiton Investment Management Limited Board chairperson Elias Chipimo called for a shift from what he described as digital mediocrity to national excellence if Zambia was to fully harness technology for economic development.

Mr Chipimo said although Zambia had embraced technology early, implementation challenges and regulatory hurdles had slowed progress, preventing the country from translating technological advances into sustained economic growth.

And Hobbiton Technology Chief Executive Officer Mwangala Mwiya said the number of people on the Patumba platform had reached 1.6 million.

Ends.