Huawei Zambia has launched a smart village project in the southern district of Namwala, Huawei. It includes a communication tower and a solar system able to power numerous homes. At a launch event, Huawei also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Zambian government to establish 100 smart villages in the country's ten provinces.

Wang Sheng, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Zambia, said the project is another example of the commitment of the Chinese government and Chinese companies to pledges made to strengthen Zambian digitisation during the Zambian president's state visit to China in 2023. Wang said the establishment of 100 smart villages is expected to offer electricity and internet access to 400,000 villagers and create more than 5,000 jobs.

Phil Li, Huawei's vice president for the southern Africa region, said the company was ready to work with various partners to bridge the digital gap in Zambia and contribute to the country's digitisation. The smart village project was the start of Huawei's effort to ensure that no Zambian village lagged behind in electricity access, said Li.