LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – In order to improve communication, the Zambian government will invest more money in the construction of telecom infrastructure nationwide, acting president Rupiah Banda announced last week in his state-of-the-nation address.
Zambia is currently experiencing communication problems due to congestion at the Mwembeshi satellite station, run by the government-owned Zambia Telecommunications. The Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) has been pushing the government to improve infrastructure at the satellite station, which has been failing to handle inbound and outbound call traffic for nearly a month.
ZACA executive secretary Muyunda llilonga expressed the association’s concern last month that Zambia’s telecom sector is at risk of collapsing due to declining consumer confidence and poor quality of service.
But Banda said the Zambian government is working hard to develop telecom infrastructure in order to enhance services in the country. “The government will make sure that it develops the telecom sector because it is vital in the development of the country,” Banda said.
The Zambian government has already set aside over US$4 million for rural infrastructure development across the country, plus an additional $200,000 for rural ICT development, according to Minister of Communications and Transport Dora Siliya.