Lusaka, Zambia – 15 October 2025
Zambia has taken a bold step toward asserting its digital independence. At the Digital Government Africa Summit 2025 in Lusaka, the SMART Zambia Institute (SZI), inq Zambia, and Mezzanine announced a landmark strategic partnership designed to accelerate the country’s digital transformation and strengthen local control over data, infrastructure, and digital services.
Anchored on Mezzanine’s Helium Platform, the alliance will deliver scalable, secure, and fully locally hosted digital infrastructure — all supported under a Kwacha-denominated Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure predictability, sustainability, and local accountability.
“Our role is to bring industrial-strength digital infrastructure into local ecosystems. The Helium Platform is built for that purpose,” said Jacques de Vos, CEO of Mezzanine. “We look forward to delivering trusted, scalable services that grow with Zambia’s ambitions.”
A Partnership for Digital Sovereignty
The partnership embodies a clear vision: Built in Africa. For Africa. Powered by Helium.
It fuses Zambia’s institutional leadership through SMART Zambia with inq’s cutting-edge cloud and connectivity capabilities, and Mezzanine’s proven technology platform — already deployed across several African markets.
The collaboration will:
- Enable sustainable, Zambia-based hosting of government and enterprise systems
- Promote African-led innovation by reducing dependency on foreign cloud infrastructure
- Support cross-sector digitalisation, spanning health, education, agriculture, utilities, and citizen services
- Enhance resilience and affordability through Kwacha-based service contracts that mitigate foreign exchange volatility
Why This Partnership Matters
This milestone marks more than just another digital upgrade — it represents a turning point in Zambia’s digital sovereignty strategy.
By localising the full technology stack, the initiative ensures that Zambia maintains direct control over its data, systems, and deployment choices. This sovereignty is critical not only for national security but also for economic sustainability and citizen trust in digital governance.
“This partnership is about placing Zambia at the centre of its own digital future,” said an SZI representative. “It is about building infrastructure that serves our people, grows our economy, and safeguards our data.”
Sustainable, Scalable, and Secure
At the heart of the initiative lies sustainability through localisation.
By pegging service agreements to the local currency, Zambia eliminates exposure to exchange-rate fluctuations that often jeopardise public digital programmes. The model ensures continuity of services, predictable pricing, and reinvestment into the domestic tech economy.
The Helium Platform, already proven across several African contexts, provides the scalability needed to support digital transformation in both government and the private sector. Its flexible architecture allows for integration across ministries, utilities, and service providers — enabling a unified digital ecosystem capable of driving national efficiency and innovation.
Empowering People Through Technology
A key pillar of the partnership is capacity building.
Beyond technology transfer, the initiative includes comprehensive training programmes, local skills development, and knowledge-sharing initiatives designed to strengthen Zambia’s digital talent pipeline.
“True digital transformation is not just about technology — it’s about people,” said a spokesperson from inq Zambia. “This partnership ensures Zambians are not just users, but architects of their digital destiny.”
Next Steps Toward Implementation
Over the coming months, the partnership will move into its implementation phase, which includes:
- Deploying the local infrastructure and hosting environment
- Migrating targeted government and enterprise workloads onto the Helium Platform
- Launching pilot programmes across selected ministries and economic sectors
- Collecting performance and user feedback to refine and scale deployment
- Opening the framework for collaboration with other African nations seeking similar models of digital sovereignty
Africa’s Next Chapter in Digital Independence
The SMART Zambia–inq–Mezzanine alliance reflects a broader continental movement toward homegrown digital ecosystems that balance innovation, security, and sovereignty.
By championing local hosting, transparent governance, and currency-stable contracts, the partnership offers a replicable blueprint for African nations seeking to take ownership of their digital futures.
“This is more than an infrastructure partnership,” said de Vos. “It’s a blueprint for African digital independence — scalable, sustainable, and sovereign.”
Tags: #DigitalGovernmentAfrica #SMARTZambia #inqZambia #Mezzanine #HeliumPlatform #DigitalSovereignty #AfricaTech #GovTech #ZambiaInnovation