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CORPORATE ENTITIES URGED TO SUPPORT DIGITAL INNOVATION

Large corporate entities and institutions of higher learning have been urged to play a role in grooming young people in Zambia to practice strategic thinking and digital innovation.

BongoHive Executive Director and Co-Founder Lukonga Lindunda said collaboration between stakeholders is key to unlocking the technological potential among young people.

Mr. Lindunda said unlocking technological potential will help turn the country into a regional technological hub especially that Zambia has youthful population that can drive this new sector if adequately equipped.

“We have a lot of talented youths that could make a huge difference in the local digital sphere if supported by the corporate world,” he said.

He however noted that there is a challenge getting corporate entities to view technological start-ups as potential partners that can leverage their considerable resources to unlock the power of innovation in them.

Mr. Lindunda alleged that despite the extensive reach and resources that corporate entities have, they do not always have the capacity to solve every technological problem they may face hence the need to bring on board companies that are specialized in creating solutions suited to their needs.

“If start-ups can ride on big corporates success and reach to unlock opportunities in technology development, then it would be a win-win for the industry and the country at large.”

 “If we can focus on grooming young people to value innovation from an early age, we could see some of the gaps in the tech industry shrink within a few years,” Mr. Lindunda explained.

Meanwhile, speaking during a Stanbic Anakazi Online Conversations webinar, Stanbic Bank Zambia Head of Transactional Products and Services, Chanda Mwila said despite all the achievements that Zambia has had in the digital sphere, there still remains a lot of work to be done if the nation is to realise its potential in technology development use.

Ms. Mwila added that social distancing has forced companies to come up with new ways of carrying out their daily operations while meeting customer needs in spite of reduced physical interaction.

Ms. Mwila noted that part of the problem the country has faced during the pandemic is that many businesses opted to tap into solutions created for other markets, which hardly met the demands of the local segment.

She urged businesses to develop a culture of creating solutions tailored to prevailing problems as opposed to following international trends that may not necessarily be what their clients need.

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