PACRA, Partners Roll Out Major Business Ownership Transparency Project
The Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA), in partnership with Open Ownership and the GIZ Good Governance Programme, has launched a three-year project aimed at developing a Next Generation Business and Beneficial Ownership Register.
The initiative was officially launched on Friday and is intended to strengthen transparency, accountability and efficiency in Zambia’s business environment by modernising the way companies are registered and how ownership information is disclosed.
Minister of Tourism, Hon. Rodney Sikumba, who graced the launch, commended PACRA for demonstrating strong leadership in driving the reform and aligning it with national development priorities.
He also expressed gratitude to Open Ownership for providing technical support and to GIZ for financing the first phase of the programme.
Mr. Sikumba said the reform aligns directly with President Hakainde Hichilema’s vision of digital transformation and good governance, noting that it will improve company registration processes, ownership disclosure and institutional collaboration.
“A modern, credible and interoperable business register is not a technical luxury, but a strategic public good,” the Minister said.
PACRA Board Chairperson, Mr. Allan Mwaba, said the project reflects Zambia’s commitment to transparency, accountability and the creation of a modern business environment that inspires investor confidence.
Mr. Mwaba noted that since the enactment of the Companies Act of 2017, Zambia has taken deliberate steps to strengthen beneficial ownership transparency. However, he revealed that by 2024, only 38 per cent of registered companies had submitted beneficial ownership information, highlighting low compliance levels that the new project seeks to address.
Meanwhile, Smart Zambia Institute National Coordinator, Mr. Percy Chinyama, emphasised that a credible digital economy cannot exist without trusted foundational systems.
He said the business register is a critical system, as it sits at the intersection of commerce, regulation, service delivery and enforcement, making it central to effective governance and economic development.
The Next Generation Business and Beneficial Ownership Register is expected to enhance data accuracy, improve inter-agency collaboration and support Zambia’s broader efforts to combat corruption, promote ease of doing business and strengthen public trust.
