BACKGROUND

The Zambia Development Agency (the Agency) was established in 2006 by an Act of Parliament and became operational in January 2007 after the amalgamation of five statutory bodies that hitherto operated independently to foster economic growth and development by promoting trade and investment through an efficient, effective and coordinated private sector led economic development strategy. These institutions were the Zambia Investment Centre (ZIC), Zambia Privatisation Agency (ZPA), Export Board of Zambia (EBZ), Small Enterprise Development Board (SEDB) and Zambia Export Processing Zones Authority (ZEPZA).

The Agency undertakes all the services previously carried out by these institutions. It is responsible for fostering economic growth and development in Zambia through promoting trade and investment and an efficient, effective and coordinated private sector led economic development strategy. The Agency also has the challenge to develop an internationally competitive Zambian economy through innovations that promotes high skills, productive investment, and increased trade.

The Government rationalised the new institutional set up under the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry in order to save costs and improve upon service delivery by operationalising the concept of one ‘stop- shop.’ It has commercial and implementation powers that have been provided to enable it contribute to economic growth through a private sector economic growth strategy. The Act gives powers to the ZDA in key areas of trade development, investment promotion, enterprise restructuring, development of green fields’ projects, small and enterprise development, trade and industry fund management, and contributing to skills training development.

The amalgamated Agency is therefore a semi autonomous institution with its Board of Directors appointed, by the Minister of Commerce Trade and Industry. The Board comprises members of the public and private sector as well as civil society organisations, while both the Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson are appointed from the private sector. The organization has its head office in Lusaka and regional offices in Kitwe, Kasama, Livingstone, Mansa, and Mongu.