Manufacturing and Mining Lead the Way as Zambia Actualizes USD 14.7 Billion in Investment
The Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) has reported USD 14.71 billion in actualised investments from 2021 to date, translating pledged projects into tangible economic activity across key sectors of the economy.
Speaking at the ZDA End-of-Year Media Briefing, Director General Albert Halwampa said the figure was based on confirmed responses from 779 companies out of 2,065 firms holding ZDA investment licences, whose combined committed investments totalled USD 89.31 billion.
Mr Halwampa highlighted that the manufacturing sector led actualised investments with USD 5.54 billion, followed closely by mining at USD 5.07 billion. Other sectors included transport with USD 1.53 billion, services at USD 926.67 million, and agriculture with USD 614.72 million.
The Director General noted that these investments have resulted in 91,522 jobs, compared to 614,486 jobs originally pledged by the responding companies. Manufacturing accounted for 29,537 of these jobs, mining created 21,003, and agriculture contributed 14,232 positions.
Mr Halwampa attributed the strong investment performance to effective leadership, consistent government policies, and stable macroeconomic conditions.
He praised President Hakainde Hichilema for promoting Zambia as an attractive destination for investors, alongside reforms that have enhanced fiscal discipline, transparency, and economic stability.
He added that the USD 14.71 billion figure is not exhaustive, as it reflects only companies able to confirm the actualisation of their projects.
The Agency plans to strengthen monitoring mechanisms to ensure full accounting of the economic benefits arising from both fiscal and non-fiscal investment facilitation.
