Department of Communications

The Department of Communications was created to coordinate the implementation of the National ICT Policy following Government recognition and appreciation that information and communications technologies play a central and catalytic role as an enabler of socio-economic development in the country.

The Department also implements programmes aimed at unlocking the potential of ICT to contribute to the social and economic development of the country.

The sector is governed by the following acts;

1. The Information Communication Technology Act No 15 of 2009
2. The Postal Act of 2009
3. Data Protection Act No 3 of 2021
4. Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act No 2 of 2021
5. The Electronic Communication and Transition Act No 4 of 2021
6. The Information Communication Technology Association of Zambia Act No 7 of 2018

UNITS IN THE DEPARTMENT

Technical Services

The Technical Services Section is responsible for the management, promotion and coordination of the development and implementation of ICT systems and applications.  

Postal and Policy Development

The Policy Development section, is responsible for formulation and implementation of appropriate policy, legislation, and regulatory framework in the Information Communication Technology, Telecommunication and Postal Services subsectors.

COORDINATION WITH STATUTORY BODIES

The Department coordinates, collaborates and liaises with two Statutory Agency and one Government State Owned Companies.

1. The Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority – ZICTA
2. Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited – ZAMTEL
3. Zambia Postal Services Corporation – ZAMPOST

INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND COLLABORATION

Zambia is a member of a number of regional and international institutions whose agenda is to drive the development of ICTs for social and economic development. As part of its overall mandate, The Department provides representation on the following regional and International Institutions.

SADC ICT Sub Committee of Ministers (SCOM)

Zambia is a member of the SCOM. This is the SADC sub Committee of Minister in charge of ICTs responsible for regional ICT policy formulation and harmonisation as well as providing oversight on implementation of regional ICT programmes

International Telecommunication Union

The Country through the Ministry is a member of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). This is the United Nations specialised agency for ICTs responsible for international ICTs Policies and standards formulation, coordination and harmonisation.

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International Telecommunications Satellite organisation (ITSO)

ITSO is an intergovernmental organization that guides on the availability and usage of satellite to all nations of the world on a global and non-discriminatory basis.

Universal Postal Union (UPU)

The Universal Postal Union, established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system.

Smart Africa Alliance

The Smart Africa Alliance is a partnership between 31 African countries adhering to the Smart Africa Manifesto. Its goal is to accelerate sustainable socioeconomic development on the African continent through usage of Information and Communications Technologies and through better access to broadband service.

Zambia a member of the SMART Africa Board represented by the Head of State with the Minister of Transport and Communication serving on the Council of Ministers.  The Board of SMART Africa Alliance meets annually.

The Pan African Postal Union (PAPU)

The Pan African Postal Union (PAPU) is a specialized institution of the African Union. Its main objective is to coordinate all activities aimed at developing postal services on the African continent.

The Union was established by the Heads of State and Government of the then Organization of African Union (OAU), pursuant to a Resolution taken during the aforementioned meeting in Libreville.

PAPU’s vision is to ensure the implementation of a single postal territory that provides innovative, integrated and inclusive policy guidelines for the development of the postal sector in Africa.

The Department is responsible for policy formulation and coordination in the ICT sector. The ICT sector in Zambia comprises of various Institutions providing ICT goods and services, Telecommunication companies, carriers of carriers, internet service providers, ICT security companies, Data Controllers, Data Processors, postal services and couriers companies.

      Specifically, the Department is responsible for;

1. Policy formulation, review and implementation encompassing Telecommunications, Information Technology and Postal and Courier Services;
2. Coordinate ICT and postal activities involving Public Sector, Private Sector, Civil Society and Cooperating Partners at all levels;
3. Coordinate the development of National ICT Implementation Plans and assist in resource mobilization for implementing the National ICT Policy;
4. Promote and coordinate research into, and  the development and use of, new Information and Communication Technologies;
5. Monitoring and Evaluation of ICT and Postal Services policy implementation;
6. Conduct countrywide regular ICT surveys to monitor and evaluate the performance of the sector;

The Department of Communications was created to coordinate the implementation of the National ICT Policy following Government recognition and appreciation that information and communications technologies play a central and catalytic role as an enabler of socio-economic development in the country.

The Department also implements programmes aimed at unlocking the potential of ICT to contribute to the social and economic development of the country.

The Department coordinates, collaborates, and liaises with two Statutory Agency and one Government State-Owned Companies.

1. The Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority – ZICTA
2. Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited – ZAMTEL
3. Zambia Postal Services Corporation – ZAMPOST

The sector is governed by the following acts;

1. The Information Communication Technology Act No 15 of 2009
2. The Postal Act of 2009
3. Data Protection Act No 3 of 2021
4. Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act No 2 of 2021
5. The Electronic Communication and Transition Act No 4 of 2021
6. The Information Communication Technology Association of Zambia Act No 7 of 2018

Technical Services

The Technical Services Section is responsible for the management, promotion, and coordination of the development and implementation of ICT systems and applications.  

Postal and Policy Development

The Policy Development section is responsible for the formulation and implementation of appropriate policy, legislation, and regulatory framework in the Information Communication Technology, Telecommunication, and Postal Services subsectors.