ZAMTEL ‘empowers’ remote Kafumbwe

ZAMTEL has set up a 65 meters tower in Kafumbwe area of Katete to promote economic growth in the area by providing the population access to reliable and cheap communication solutions, corporate communication manager, Kennedy Mambwe has said. Mr. Mambwe said Kafumbwe which is 33 kilometres from the Chanida border has not been connected to the telecommunication service since independence, adding that the erection of the tower would stir economic development in the area. Speaking in an interview with the Daily Nation, Mr. Mambwe said ZAMTEL as a state-owned telecommunication tompany was championing universal access to communication as a source of economic development. “The era of climbing trees and anthills in search of mobile phone network is over because we are not leaving any area untouched with connection to mo- bile services” Mr. Mambwe said. He also said ZAMTEL was going deep into the heart of Zambia to make sure that communication which is a universal right was being accessed by all citizens regardless of their economic status. He explained that normally telecommunication companies would only put up a 65 meter tower in areas where there is economic value in terms of recouping the investment because it is expensive but that they were doing so to equip people from the outskirts of the country with knowledge through access to communication. “What we are doing now is ensuring that each inch of Zambia is covered. It’s no longer about the immediate economic benefit of the immediate population in this radius but it’s about how can we leverage universal access to communication and promote inclusive economic growth,” Mr. Mambwe said. He stated that is important to ensure that the level of investment in the rural areas matched up with the one in the city in order for the attainment of economic growth.