ZACL becomes first SOE on smart office as government pushes paperless operations

Government, through the Smart Zambia Institute, has […]

Government, through the Smart Zambia Institute, has handed over the Smart Office Management System to Zambia Airports Corporation Limited (ZACL) in order to accelerate digital transformation, improve efficiency and move public institutions towards paperless operations.

 ZACL has become the first StateOwned Enterprise (SOE) to be onboarded onto the platform, which is expected to reduce expenditure on paper, printing and storage while strengthening transparency, accountability and service delivery.

Speaking at the handover ceremony attended by the Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Secretary to the Cabinet, Patrick Kangwa indicated that Smart Office is a strategic governance tool designed to modernise public-sector operations and not merely an information and communication technology project.

“Digital transformation is not merely an option, but a strategic imperative for achieving sustainable national development and improving service delivery to our citizens,” said Kangwa.

 He said the platform will transform manual filing into secure electronic records, automate workflows and provide digital audit trails, while reducing costs associated with stationery, printing, toner, physical storage and manual document handling.

 “The transition from manual and paper-based systems to digital platforms should no longer be viewed as a future aspiration, but as a present-day necessity for improving public sector performance and accountability,” said Kangwa.

Meanwhile, speaking at the same event, ZACL Managing Director, Urvesh Desai said becoming the first state-owned enterprise to adopt the system presents the Corporation with an opportunity to demonstrate the value of digital transformation to other public institutions.

 “The system will streamline administrative processes, reduce our reliance on paper, subsequently reducing the budget for stationery, improve turnaround times, and strengthen transparency and accountability,” said Desai.

He added that ZACL will treat the implementation as an institutional transformation programme, with 100% of head-office staff already trained and a further 406 employees at other stations expected to be trained by the end of November 2026.

“We need to level up to modern global standards of management, and the success of this system will depend on how effectively we use it,” said Desai.

 Speaking at the same occasion, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, Eng. Fredrick Mwalusaka said ZACL has moved from a paper-based registry to an end-toend digital workflow covering the creation, routing, approval, storage and retrieval of official records.

“The manual system we retire today is beset by delays, files that cannot be tracked in real time, and bottlenecks created by red tape, and the Smart Office Management System is our answer,” said Mwalusaka.

 He said the ministry expects other institutions under its portfolio, including the Civil Aviation Authority, RTSA, TAZARA, Zambia Railways and Zambia Airways, among others, to come on board so that costs associated with manual processes could be minimised.

Article by Philip Sinkala