This is a proposal to the Zambian Government for enhancing efforts towards promoting a data culture in the country.

1. Proposal on enhancing the Data Culture in Zambia

2. This is a proposal is to the Republic of Zambia through Cabinet Office
on how to enhance the use of data for development by all major players
in the data life cycle. These being;
• The people, civil societies and Academia's
• Government and international organizations
• The private sector

3. Above is the Data Life Cycle, which the Zambian Government is
sustaining for the good through programs such as the smart Zambia
campaign, implementation of the National Data Center connecting all
ministries. The installation of street cameras and expansion of mobile
phone network coverage to almost 95% with phone penetration above
100%
In fully sustaining the Data Culture in Zambia, this proposal promotes
governments efforts in data infrastructure development, regulatory
guidelines, interoperability of systems, data literacy and application for
development.

4. • Better data management
• Ability to analyze and find insight
• Use as a basis for decision making
• Promotes transparency in governance
• Ability to implement and uphold data privacy policies and rights
• Conform to international data standards
• Develop an Integrated National Data System
• Support the National Statistics Office
• Support National Disaster and mitigation unit with disaster pattens
and statistics
• Support the Health care sector with pandemic information for
responsive health system
• Data literate Zambia
Benefits of a Data Culture

5. • Individuals, Civil Societies and Academia's
• Government and International Organizations
• Private Sector
Areas of proposed enhanced effort
towards promoting the data culture in Zambia

6. • Society has to be engaged on the new social contract based on Value,
Trust and Equity
• Encourage Civil societies efforts in building trust, safeguards against
data misuse but instead promote data creation, use and repurposing.
• Data literacy programs on risk of misusing data while promoting its
use for development.
• Human rights to be promoted in the use of data
• Conduct some of the surveys in local language for granularity of data
Individuals, Civil Societies and Academia's

7. • Government to promote use of data for development, disaster
management and health pandemic control.
• Government to put in place supportive policy formulation that
strengthens and promotes the use of data
• Government to promote data literacy from senior government
officials to communities
• Government to deliberately support statistical education in schools as
well as data science in universities.
• Government to adopt digital identity for ease of granularity of data
• Government to strengthen data privacy laws in line with human
rights
• Government to implement an Integrated National Data System
• Government to spearhead compliance to international standards and
interoperability
• Enhance international corporation, regional collaboration, global and
multilateral engagements on data governance
Government and International Organizations

8. • The use of data by the private sector can attract good economic
policies such as; Competitive policy, Taxation policy and Trade
policy.
• Private sector raises the need for risk mitigation on the use of
personal customer data violating their rights
• Promote data driven firms for development
• Promote use of data in the Agriculture, Tourism, Transport / logistics
and e-commerce sectors.
• Promote the use of data that gives insight and improves customer
centric service delivery
• Promote interoperability and data standards for the private sector
players
• Monitor and oversee compliance of good data management practices
Private Sector

9. • Need for collaboration with all actors
• Creating more demand for data
• Securing, processing and ease of portability and access to data
• Regulatory framework that builds trust
• Use of data is decision making
• Skills in finding more insight in data
• Use of innovation in advancing use of data
• Enhancing international and regional collaboration in promoting the
use of data.
Action points