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The Zambian government has announced that Google will establish an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center of Excellence at the University of Zambia in Lusaka.
This initiative followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the American technology giant and the Ministry of Technology and Science in June 2024.
Speaking after a tour of the newly constructed ZAMREN House in Lusaka, Technology and Science Minister, Felix Mutati, highlighted that the AI Center of Excellence would be the first of its kind in Southern Africa.
The center would be set up at the Zambia Research and Education Network (ZAMREN), located within the University of Zambia.
Mutati said that the Center of Excellence would provide a platform for young innovators to develop solutions to Zambia’s pressing challenges.
“Young people will be coming here to create products and solutions from their ideas that can help us alleviate certain problems,” Mutati said.
He also praised ZAMREN for its efforts in connecting 150 institutions across the country to high-speed internet, noting that several skills training institutes under his ministry are benefiting from these connections.
“Some of the skills training institutes under the Ministry are benefiting from the internet,” Mutati stated.
He further commended ZAMREN for enabling students to access free internet for their research purposes, which he said was vital for fostering innovation and academic excellence.
ZAMREN Board Secretary, Ronald Hatoongo, expressed his institution’s commitment to continue providing internet services to educational institutions to promote innovation.
He also thanked the Ministry of Technology and Science for its continued support to ZAMREN over the years.
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