Ecobank Zambia has invested more than K3 […]

Ecobank Zambia has invested more than K3 million in education projects over the past three years, including the refurbishment and equipping of an information and communication technology (ICT) laboratory at Bauleni Legacy Academy in Lusaka.

Speaking during Ecobank Day 2026 on October 3, Ecobank Zambia Managing Director Aina L. Moore said the initiative aimed to equip learners with digital skills needed in a technology-driven world. The ICT laboratory, valued at about K1.2 million, has 25 computers, 15 desks, 30 chairs, an air conditioner, a projector and a screen.

Ecobank Zambia Board Chairman Joseph Chikolwa said the bank’s Transforming Africa Through Education Initiative had supported more than 2,000 pupils in Zambia, while Ecobank Group had reached more than 46,000 young people across Africa and established 66 ICT laboratories.

 “Education is no longer simply a social issue. It is a national development issue. It is an economic issue,” Chikolwa said.

He said education and digital skills were essential as technology continued to shape the future, while citing UNICEF figures indicating that more than 60 per cent of Grade Five learners scored below the minimum pass mark in key learning areas.

 Meanwhile, Family Legacy Mission Zambia interim country director Annie Zulu Banda said the ICT laboratory was part of a K1.5 million partnership agreement signed with Ecobank Zambia a few weeks before the event.

She said the organisation served about 10,000 children, many from vulnerable communities in Lusaka, through 18 Legacy Academies, supporting their educational, spiritual, physical and emotional development.

 Banda said the laboratory would give children opportunities to learn, research, create and develop digital skills.

 Bauleni Legacy Academy student representative Holly Bwalya thanked the two organisations for investing in the school’s learning facilities, saying the improvements would benefit its 396 learners and future generations.

 “The refurbishment of our computer laboratory, support to the feeding shelter, and the planned fully equipped science laboratory are more than donations. They are tools of transformation, opening doors to knowledge, technology, innovation, and opportunity,” Bwalya said.

 She said the investment would create a better learning environment where pupils could explore, experiment and discover their potential. Bwalya added that the sup support could help nurture future business leaders, teachers, doctors, engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators.

“To the leadership and the entire team at Ecobank Zambia, we thank you for seeing potential, possibility and the future in us learners,” she said.

 Ecobank Zambia’s education initiatives have also included support for Katoba Secondary School in Chongwe and an inclusive digital learning classroom at the University Teaching Hospital Special School.

Article by Karen Ngulube