Airtel Zambia donates Android phones to DMMU

MOBILE

By Edith Mwale, Lusaka, Zambia

Zambia’s largest mobile operator, Airtel , has donated Android mobile phones to the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) under the office of the vice president to be used for communication during disasters in rainy season.

Airtel managing director Fayaz King said the donation was aimed at ensuring effective communication during operations by the DMMU.

King touted the Android mobile phone as “a versatile communication tool because of its unique features such as Google applications and internet, among others.”

Every year, thousands of Lusaka residents in shanty compounds dotted around the city suffer untold misery as a result of floods that wash away their houses.

Most of the compounds in question are not planned and not serviced by the government through the local authorities. The Zambian government has in the past considered the demolition of the illegal structures in order to pave way for modern habitable ones.

And Zambia’s vice president, Dr. Guy Scott, thanked Airtel for donating the phones he said would help make DMMU’s work more efficient in rural areas in times of disaster.

The Zambian government has already issued notices to people living in flood prone areas to leave before the rains, saying the government will not be held responsible if disaster strikes.