Zambia and Germany Unite to Drive Digital Innovation and Job Creation at GZ-DIF Forum
The Ministry of Technology and Science successfully hosted the Germany–Zambia Digital Innovation Forum (GZ-DIF), a landmark event fostering cross-border collaboration to accelerate digital transformation, job creation, and start-up empowerment in Zambia.
The forum served as a strategic platform linking Germany and Zambia under a shared vision—to transition from passive technology consumers to active co-creators addressing real-world challenges through innovation.
The event highlighted Zambia’s ambitious goal to become a regional digital hub through policies and partnerships focused on inclusive growth.
Addressing the forum, the Ministry underscored key digital challenges such as limited literacy, innovation capacity, and entrepreneurship, and stressed the importance of leveraging international expertise to bridge these gaps.
Zambia’s digital journey has been guided by significant frameworks, including the National Digital Transformation Strategy (2023–2027) and the 2023 ICT Policy, both designed to enhance infrastructure, improve digital skills, and automate public services. These efforts, the Ministry noted, have already improved transparency and reduced transaction costs.
The Permanent Secretary emphasized Zambia’s commitment to emerging technologies, citing the launch of the country’s first-ever Artificial Intelligence Strategy in 2024. This initiative targets innovation across agriculture, education, finance, health, and governance.
Key outcomes of the Germany–Zambia Digital Innovation Forum (GZ-DIF) include the creation of 100 technology jobs within Zambia’s IT sector and the rollout of 20 vocational training programs aimed at equipping local digital talent with practical skills.
The forum also accelerated Zambia’s digital transformation through the introduction of No-Code platforms, with Levebuild committing a €10 million platform license to support this effort. Additionally, the event fostered stronger collaboration between universities and reinforced the Government’s commitment to achieving national digital innovation targets.
The Ministry is also working with the European Union on a Start-up Bill and venture capital initiatives to support tech entrepreneurship.
The event concluded with a call to action: “Together, we can build a digital ecosystem that is sustainable, impactful, and globally competitive.”
