Zambia: Understanding the Growing Digital Market with Tresford Himanansa, Founder, Xypnet

Xypnet is a software and web solution company based in Zambia, offering services ranging from software development, web hosting, and web design, to offering Internet security. One of the leading IT and hosting providers in the country, it aims to make the Internet available in the country and ensure that the hosting and domain registration process is simple and straightforward for businesses.

Tresford Himanansa, CEO and Founder of Xypnet Limited sat with us for a small interview about the digital landscape of Zambia, the shared hosting market, usage of website builders, and more.

Zambia and Shared Hosting

Zambian Market in Numbers

A small landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southers, and Eastern Africa, Zambia has a population of around 18 million people. The estimated Internet penetration rate currently stands at around 30%, however, in the words of Tresford, it’s hard to know for sure: periodic updates do happen on this, but they are not too frequent.

Zambia has a population of around 18 million people and the Internet penetration rate is about 30%. However, the number can be higher, because no periodic updates are provided on this. Updates happen, but they are not too frequent. While people with desktop computers and mobile phones have access to the internet, many people in villages, for example, still don’t because they don’t even have electricity. The infrastructure development that’s happening can help significantly improve the internet penetration rate. In fact, the changes are already noticeable: currently, the Internet growth rate is around 20% annually.

Domain Registration in Zambia

Registering a domain in Zambia is a less straightforward process than in many countries. Here, registering a domain needs to be done manually. This includes going to a certain office, filling out some paperwork, making payments, and waiting for a few days. 'This is one of the reasons the local domain extension usage doesn’t grow very fast,' notes Tresford. People choose other extensions because it is easier. 'However, we are in touch with authorities to make the process simpler and aim to increase the number of registered local domains at least twice in the upcoming year or two. Currently, we have around 5,000 local domains registered.'

Support in Zambia

Xypnet offers its customers 24/7 support, however, it’s one of the very few companies to do so. For most companies, the support is available during regular business hours, as it’s very hard to maintain a round-the-clock support team with a limited number of clients. For support, mainly English is used. 'English is the official language of business, everyone in business understands it. Bigger corporations working in the country offer an option to select another local language, but smaller businesses just stick to English as it’s a safe bet.'

Price vs Quality: What Do Zambians Value?

According to Tresford, in Zambia, people go for price rather than quality. 'Most people go for a price. Established businesses, of course, would go for quality, but the price is an important matter, and many businesses and individuals are looking for options as affordable as possible. I think most locals don't understand the importance of the Internet and how it can be beneficial for their businesses. People yet don’t use the Internet to access services, and because of that businesses don’t see the benefit of going online. But the good news is, more and more people are starting to realise the benefits and versatility of the Internet.'

To pay, people are using mobile money, and the number of people using it is greater than those using cards. There is also a trust issue, notes Tresford: people do not yet trust cards.

Website Builders as Digital Tools

In Zambia, people are just beginning to use website builders. 'Because they are easy and affordable, they make going online almost free. For example, currently in Zambia, to have a website developed would cost on average 4000 ZMW, while using a website builder would be under 500 ZMW. And the website import feature makes it easier to “clone” a website instead of building it from scratch, according to the feedback we’ve received. It greatly simplifies switching the platforms.'

Final Thoughts

With its quite large population, developing infrastructure, and rapid digitisation, Zambia is worth keeping an eye on for shared hosting businesses and other service providers. As people in the country start seeing the value of investing money into bringing their business online, they look for more, and more affordable options that they can access. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for Zambia next, and are lucky to work with them to bring the country online!