INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES

Course name: Contemporary Issues in Humanities

An assignment submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for

the MA Degree in Project Planning Management

Assignment No. One

Student details: Danny M Chiwele SIN: 1408106988

Lecturer’s Name: Marvin Kabubi

Year: 2014

The influence of technology on human Development in Zambia, a case study of Choma

Introduction

In this day and age, one cannot run away from the fact that technology has influenced our lives
in one way or the other. However, the question that should be answered is to what extent has this
technology influenced human development especially Choma District. Even as I embark on this
project, it has been so easy to handle certain task due to the advancement in technology. Within,
a click of a button, am able to connect with people who are very far and make consultations. Due
to advancement in technology, I don’t have to walk from Choma to Lusaka to submit this
assignment; neither do I have to drive or send the document through the Post Office but to email
it and within a click of a finger it reaches the intended recipient. Therefore, this project looks at
how technology has impacted or influenced the development of human development here in
Zambia, but to be more specific, Choma town. Accord to Ramey in his article ‘Technology and
Society-the impact on of technology on society’ he stated that Technology and human life cannot
be separated; society has a cyclical co-dependence on technology. We use technology; depend
on technology in our daily life and our needs and demands for technology keep on rising.
Humans use technology to travel, to communicate, to learn, to do business and to live in
comfort. However technology has also caused us concerns. (Ramey, 2012)

Location

Choma is a small town which is about 285km from Lusaka and 188km from Livingstone the
tourist capital and capital of the Southern Province of Zambia, lying on the main road and
railway from Lusaka to Livingstone. It is home to a small museum dedicated to the cultural
heritage of the Tonga people of southern Zambia. As of the 2000 Zambian Census, the district
had a population of 74,890 people

The main road between the two, here called Livingstone Road, runs through the centre of the
town, and on (or just off) it you'll find all the facilities of small-town life: shops, market, cafés,
central post office, a couple of Filing stations and banks. Choma has a number of guest houses
too and its status of provincial capital has made this town to be busy with conferences and
workshops.
Climatic Conditions

Choma has the typical climate of southern Zambia with temperatures between 14 °C and 28 °C
and sunshine ranging between 9 and 12 hours per day. The highest temperatures occur between
the beginning of October and the end of December. The lowest temperatures are usually
recorded in June and July.

The rains generally start in the middle of November and continue through up to the beginning of
April. Rainfall reaches its peak around January after which it diminishes slightly up to the
beginning of April when usually it ceases entirely. Previously, Choma used to have very good
rains and the soils are quite fertile

Education

Choma has a range of both Government and private schools, including Adastra Basic School,
Njase Secondary, Airport School, Choma Secondary, Choma Day and Choma Trades Training
Institute. Choma is also home to St Mulumba's Special School, named after the Ugandan Saint
Matiya Mulumba. Government investment has increased in Choma since the late president Sata
made it the administrative capital for Southern Province. The schools in Choma have generally
got a good reputation and no wonder so many pupils move from Lusaka and other towns to take
up their school positions. If the rumor prevailing of having a university in Choma is true, this
will make the place complete.

Target Population

Since we are looking at Human Development, this project will endeavor to have equal
representation of people in terms of age, sex, education background, employment status, etc. The
project targets to reach at least one hundred respondents from the age of ten years to over sixty
five years. Schools, Health centres, shops, offices, villages, churches, etc. will be reached and
hope to get feedback on how technology has impacted their development.