The Government of Zambia and Altron Security today announced the successful completion of the ZICTA National Public Key Infrastructure Production Key Ceremony, establishing the national trust foundation on which Zambia can build digital identity, electronic signatures and secure online government services.
A public key infrastructure, or PKI, is the national system that issues and verifies digital certificates. It works like a passport office for the internet: it proves that a person, a business or a government website is genuinely who it claims to be. Encrypting information is the straightforward part. Proving who is on the other end is the harder part, and that is what a national PKI does. Every country needs one, and until now Zambia did not have its own — a gap closed today, when the Key Ceremony held in the country's capital formally established the national digital trust foundation that will support secure electronic transactions, digital signatures, digital identity and trusted online services across Zambia.
This carries weight beyond Zambia's borders. Many African countries carry little legacy identity infrastructure, which allows them to move directly to modern digital capability rather than digitising paper systems one at a time. The establishment of national root of trust has become an international priority, and the Africa PKI Forum, formed two years ago, is working towards digital trust that is recognised across borders. Zambia now joins the countries on the continent with a national trust anchor of their own.
In practice, a contract, a licence application or a land record can now be signed and submitted online rather than printed, couriered and filed. A citizen can confirm that a government website or service is genuinely government and not an impersonation. And a business can transact electronically with a level of assurance that until now required paper and physical presence.
Altron Security was awarded the work through a public tender three years ago and has since worked alongside the Zambian government to design, supply, deploy and commission a complete national trust and digital signature ecosystem, including root and issuing certification authorities, governance frameworks, security processes, operational procedures and training, built to international standards.
The Key Ceremony formally established the cryptographic trust anchors on which Zambia's national PKI will operate. The keys were generated and activated under controlled conditions in a purpose-built secure facility, as a witnessed process overseen by a notary and independently audited, with each step recorded and signed off as it was completed. Key material is held offline and split between multiple custodians in separate secure locations, so that no single person holds the keys to the country's route of trust.
That design is deliberate. Trust in a system of this kind does not rest on the assurance of any one organisation. It rests on the process being open, and on no single party being able to control it.
The ceremony was attended by the following representatives from government institutions and other key stakeholders.
Certificates issued under the national PKI give electronic signatures and online transactions a verifiable basis in law, in line with the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2021 Act 4 of 2021.
Eng. Collins Mbulo, Director General of ZICTA, said “today marks an important milestone in Zambia’s journey towards building a secure, trusted and digitally enabled economy. The NPKI provides a critical foundation for trust in the digital environment. Through digital certificates and trusted digital identities, the infrastructure will provide assurance in online interactions by establishing the identity of the parties involved, validating electronic transactions and records, and ensuring that digital information remains secure and unaltered. This initiative is therefore not simply about technology. It is about creating an environment in which citizens, businesses and Government can confidently transact and deliver services in the digital space.”
Mr Percy Chinyama, National Coordinator, Smart Zambia Institute, said: “launching the NPKI is only the beginning. Its value will depend on whether Government can sustain the infrastructure, develop the necessary skills, provide adequate resources, reduce unnecessary delays and ensure that public institutions are prepared to adopt and use the technology effectively.”
Andrew Whittaker, Managing Director, Altron Security, said: “Altron are immensely proud to have been the partner that the Zambian Government entrusted to build their national root of trust. We congratulate them on this major milestone and look forward to the digital public infrastructure that this critical capability will enable.”
WHAT IS A PKI AND WHY IT MATTERS
A digital certificate is the electronic equivalent of an identity document. It proves that a website, a person or an organisation is who it says it is, and it allows the information passing between them to be encrypted. Encryption alone is not enough, because it cannot tell you who you are dealing with, and that is the gap a public key infrastructure closes.
A national PKI means Zambia issues and controls those certificates itself rather than relying on providers outside the country. It is the foundation on which digital identity, electronic passports, mobile identity, document signing and secure government services are built, and the trust anchor established at the key ceremony is the root of that system.
ABOUT ZICTA
The Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (Authority) is provided for under section 4 of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Act No. 15 of 2009 hereinafter referred to as “the Act.” Section 6 of the Act empowers the Authority to regulate the provision of electronic communication services and products and monitor the performance of the sector, including the levels of investment and the availability, quality, cost and standards of the electronic communication services.
The Authority draws its regulatory functions and responsibilities from the following pieces of legislation or Acts;
These three (3) Acts outline, in details, the functions of the Authority, and gives enforcement and other powers to the Authority.
Generally, the mandate of ZICTA is to regulate the information and communication technology and postal and courier services sectors in Zambia.
ABOUT ALTRON SECURITY
Altron Security delivers identity security and digital identity solutions for enterprise and public sector organisations across Africa. We specialise in PKI infrastructure, identity ecosystem solutions, and next-generation identity security services. Our pivotal position in the digital identity ecosystem and our collaborative approach with partners means we can find or develop a fit-for-purpose solution for our customers.
Formed through the merger of Ubusha Technologies and LAWtrust, Altron Security operates as part of the JSE-listed Altron Group.