Chibombo: TECHz Magazine – News Desk
The MTN Zambia Foundation has handed over a newly established Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hub at Nachiyaba Secondary School in Chibombo District, Central Province. The installation transforms the school’s digital learning environment and creates a shared community access point designed to accelerate digital literacy in the rural district.
Prior to the intervention, Nachiyaba Secondary School operated under severe infrastructure constraints, relying on just two functional computers to serve its entire student body. To resolve the deficit, the MTN Zambia Foundation converted a refurbished shipping container into a dedicated, climate-resilient computer laboratory outfitted with 10 desktop workstations and 15 ergonomic chairs for hands-on instruction.
Mutinta Munkombwe, Head of Department for English and Literature at Nachiyaba Secondary School, commended the deployment as a turning point for academic delivery. She noted that the lack of hardware previously prevented teachers from conducting practical ICT coursework, leaving learners with purely theoretical instruction. With the dedicated facility operational, the school can now deliver Zambia’s updated competency-based curriculum, which mandates applied digital skills and practical computer literacy.
Beyond serving enrolled pupils, the facility runs on an open-access model to serve residents and youth throughout the surrounding Chibombo community. The hub will serve as an access point for the MTN Skills Academy, providing free certified coursework spanning foundational digital literacy, cloud and data fundamentals, software development, digital marketing, and tech entrepreneurship. By pairing physical computing access with structured digital training, the initiative aims to open pathways into tertiary education, freelance technical work, and formal employment.
The handover brought together district officials, civic leaders, educators, and telecommunications executives. Serving as Guest of Honour, Chibombo District Commissioner Lloyd Kayeka commended the private sector intervention, noting that closing the technological divide between urban centers and rural schools requires sustained corporate collaboration alongside government investments. Addressing administrators, teachers, and learners, Kayeka urged the local community to exercise strict stewardship over the facility to protect the equipment from vandalism and preserve the investment for future cohorts.
The Nachiyaba deployment forms part of MTN Zambia’s wider corporate social investment strategy, which supports national development targets focused on expanding digital literacy and rural connectivity across all provinces.
