NDOLA, July 15, 2026 – The e-Government Division (SMART Zambia Institute), in partnership with IHM Southern Africa, Tuso Business Dynamics, Quadrupleplay and the Ministry of Health, has officially launched GovLink Private 4G, a government-owned digital connectivity network designed to deliver reliable internet services to health facilities, schools and other public institutions across Zambia.

Launched today at Ndola Teaching Hospital, the initiative seeks to bridge Zambia’s digital connectivity gap by linking public institutions to a secure, shared national network capable of supporting trusted digital government services.

Health has been designated as the flagship sector for the rollout, with key digital health platforms, including Care 2.0, currently being piloted at Ndola Teaching Hospital, Arthur Davison Children’s Hospital and Kitwe Teaching Hospital, and SmartCare Pro, which is already deployed in more than 2,000 health facilities nationwide, progressively migrating onto the GovLink network.

In a speech delivered on his behalf by Government Chief Technical Officer Ms Kasali Musenge, SMART Zambia Institute National Coordinator Percy Chinyama described GovLink as a critical enabler of digital transformation and improved public service delivery.

“Technology is a powerful catalyst for national development. GovLink provides the digital infrastructure needed to modernise service delivery by connecting health facilities, schools, farming communities and other public institutions through a government-owned network,” Mr Chinyama said.

He said the Copperbelt Province had emerged as a model for digital transformation, with government nearing 100 percent connectivity across public sector sites through strong collaboration between government institutions and private sector partners.

“The success we have attained here, nearing 100 percent connectivity in public sector sites on the Copperbelt, has been achieved through collaboration with our partners in government and the private sector,” he said.

Mr Chinyama also commended the Copperbelt Provincial Administration and public service workers for embracing digital transformation, saying their commitment had positioned the province at the forefront of implementing government digital services.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Technical Services Dr Kennedy Lishimpi described the launch as a major milestone in Zambia’s digital health journey.

He said while the Ministry had invested significantly in electronic health systems such as SmartCare, inconsistent digital infrastructure had prevented the country from fully realising the benefits of those investments.

“This is the infrastructure that finally sits beneath our digital health investments and allows them to deliver the results we have always intended,” Dr Lishimpi said.

He noted that GovLink would provide the dependable connectivity required to support electronic health records, telemedicine, real-time clinical decision-making and other digital health services across the country.

Dr Lishimpi added that Ndola Teaching Hospital, Kitwe Teaching Hospital and Arthur Davison Children’s Hospital were among the first facilities connected to the network and would serve as demonstration sites for the national rollout.

Copperbelt Provincial Health Director Dr Charles Mwinuna said reliable digital connectivity would help reduce patient waiting times, strengthen referral systems, improve the management of medicines and medical supplies, and enable healthcare workers to deliver faster and more effective services.

Senior Medical Superintendent at Ndola Teaching Hospital Dr Justo Banda said the facility was already experiencing the benefits of improved connectivity through electronic health records and other digital innovations.

He said clinicians could now access patients’ medical records, radiology reports and diagnostic information electronically, improving efficiency, accountability and the overall quality of patient care.

GovLink is expected to provide a unified digital infrastructure for government institutions, strengthening the delivery of secure, reliable and citizen-centred public services while expanding digital access to underserved communities across Zambia.

#GovLink #DigitalZambia #SmartZambia #eGovernment #DigitalHealth #SmartCare #ConnectivityForAll #ZambiaHealth #DigitalTransformation #CopperbeltProvince #NdolaTeachingHospital #PublicServiceDelivery #TechForDevelopment