Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development says eight Local Authorities have been on-boarded on the Government Service Bus (GSB).
GSB is a 24 Hour-Government digital operational platform that enables citizens to access online services as part of the ongoing e-Council Digitization Project.
According to the Ministry, the eight Local Authorities included in this digital transformation phase are; Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe, Solwezi, Chingola, Kalulushi, Kalumbila and Chilanga, thereby expanding public Council services onto the ZamPortal, an initiative driven in collaboration with Smart Zambia Institute.
Speaking at a media briefing today, Permanent Secretary, Dr Gabriel Pollen said the digital migration allows the users to conveniently apply for and make electronic payments for high-priority services including health permits and fire safety certificates, property rates and business levies, market and bus station fees, billboard and banner permits.
“Following the successful go-live of the Lusaka City Council in May, this year, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development actively on-boarded the other seven Local authorities bringing the cumulative to now eight Councils,” he said.
Dr. Pollen highlighted that the digital migration is part of the Government’s broad effort to improve service delivery and efficiency, offering citizens a secure and convenient way to interact with the Local Authority.
He stated that the development marks a vital step forward in modernizing municipal services and eliminating inefficiencies associated with manual, cash-based transactions.
The Permanent Secretary encouraged all residents and business operators within the connected jurisdictions to fully utilize the 24-hour digital payment platforms to streamline their transactions with the Local Authorities.
“We are following the steady improvement in revenue in the named Local Authorities and I encourage our business community as well as our Citizens to take advantage of this unprecedented phenomenon as we enhance your transaction experience with the Local Authorities,” Dr. Pollen stated.
Dr. Pollen further highlighted that after the successful on-boarding of those eight Local Authorities, the Ministry in partnership with Smart-Zambia Institute would officially launch the e-Council s4rvices by end of this month.
“I therefore instruct all Local Authorities to begin raising awareness to their communities, and ensure to establish customer help desks,” he added.
Dr. Pollen reaffirmed that the Government remains committed to working alongside Smart Zambia and other stakeholders to ensure all the 116 Local Authorities are successfully digitalized, ultimately fostering a more responsive, transparent, and service-oriented Local Government sector.
