from ARNOLD MULENGA in Lusaka, Zambia
Zambia Bureau
LUSAKA, (CAJ News) – ZAMBIA forecasts transitioning government services to digital and discarding paperless systems, to save the administration K400 million (US$14,8 million).
This is the money government currently spends on costs for stationery, a senior official has disclosed.
Percy Chinyama, the National Coordinator of Smart Zambia, was presiding over the opening of the Smart Office Customisation workshop, held in the administrative province of Lusaka on Tuesday.
The Smart Office solution is a major step in Zambia’s transition to a paperless government.
“This solution marks a shift in culture and mindset,” Chinyama told attendees.
According to Smart Zambia, the e-government division of the administration, under the office of the president, the solution aims to provide delivery of services to the citizens by way of tackling the issue of tedious paperwork systems, rendered unsustainable amid digital transformation.
The Southern African country is under pressure to cut costs amid a cash crunch.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zambia was the first African country to default on its debt, amounting to US$7 billion.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema on Tuesday met a delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to discuss fiscal reforms.
Zambia was among the first countries to engage the G20 Common Framework for external debt restructuring.
– CAJ News