Report says mobile phone ownership climbed 7.1% in 2022

Mobile phones ownership per household in Zambia has increased to 80.7 percent in 2022 from 73.6 percent in 2018, representing 7.1 percent growth.

Furthermore, Mobile Money transaction stood at K1.6 million in 2022.

This is according to the 2022 National Survey on access and usage of Information, Communications and Technologies (ICTs).

The survey established that Phone ownership moved from 73.6 percent in 2018 to 80.7 percent in 2022.

The Survey also showed that access to internet services increased from 17.7 percent in 2018 to 33.4 percent in 2022, as a result of the growing embrace of mobile technology within the communities.

In terms of ownership of mobile phones in households, rural areas compared to urban areas, the survey established that the rural areas had 72.4 percent ownership of mobile phones, while the urban stood at 92.1 percent.

Technology and Science Minister, Felix Mutati, said this at the launch and information dissemination meeting of the 2022 national survey on access and usage of ICTs by households and individuals in Lusaka on Friday.

Mutati said this substantial growth signified the collective effort to bridge the digital divide and connect more citizens to vast opportunities presented by the online world.

“Access to internet services as also seen a jump in growth to 73.1 percent in 2022 from 48.9 percent in 2018,” he said.

Mutati said this demonstrated the commitment to promoting financial inclusion through digital means, empowering more individuals to participate in the formal economy.

He added that it was also noteworthy that the proportion of smart phones among mobile phone owners had increased from 29.6 percent in 2018 to a promising 35.8 percent in 2022.

“While we celebrate this progress, we must acknowledge that there is still room for improvement, and this necessitates a coordinated response from operators and stakeholders,” he said.

Mutati said this showed the benefits of government investment in universal access communication towers, satellite and fiber optic cable with inclusivity coupled with electronic services provided on the government service bus.

The survey, he said, provided key insights in what areas required fiscal support through incentives such as device adoption for smart phones as well as communications infrastructure development to close gaps in adoption.

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