By John Chola

Minister Musokotwane leads high-level delegation to Washington, positioning the nation as a reform-driven hub for critical minerals and sustainable growth.

Zambia is leveraging the 2025 IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings as a strategic platform to finalize its debt restructuring journey and attract sustainable investment into its critical minerals sector, a senior government official stated as the meetings commenced Monday.

Finance and National Planning Minister, Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, is leading a high-powered delegation to Washington, D.C., with a clear agenda: to deepen international partnerships and secure opportunities that will cement Zambia’s path toward stability, transformation, and growth.

“These meetings are critical in advancing the country’s debt restructuring journey and consolidating our position as one of Africa’s most attractive and reform-driven investment destinations,” Dr. Musokotwane said in a statement.

The delegation’s engagements are anchored on three key pillars, vital for the nation’s economic future:

1. Debt Sustainability and Reform: The meetings provide a crucial venue for Zambia to hold talks with the IMF, World Bank, and other creditors on its ongoing debt restructuring program. The delegation will engage with the IMF Mission Chief for Zambia and other departments to deepen cooperation and ensure the country remains on track with its reform agenda.

2. Unlocking Investment in Critical Minerals: Dr. Musokotwane highlighted that the global transition to clean energy offers Zambia an “unprecedented opportunity.” The country aims to attract sustainable investment in its copper, cobalt, and manganese resources, positioning itself as a regional hub for low-carbon growth and green industrial transformation. High-level events on the critical minerals paradigm are a top priority for the delegation.

3. Partnerships for Growth Sectors: The delegation will actively promote investments in mining, agriculture, tourism, and infrastructure through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). Bilateral meetings with development partners and investor seminars with international media like Bloomberg and Reuters are scheduled to showcase Zambia’s potential.

Dr Musokotwane described the IMF-World Bank Meetings as a “bastion of opportunity” for knowledge exchange and capital mobilization.

He reaffirmed Zambia’s commitment to transparent economic governance, fiscal discipline, and an investment-led transformation.

For ordinary Zambians and businesses, the country’s active participation in these global forums is intended to translate into tangible benefits: opening doors for job creation, affordable financing, and improved infrastructure.

The Zambian delegation includes the Secretary to the Treasury, Felix Nkulukusa; Bank of Zambia Governor, Dr. Denny Kalyalya; and Zambia Revenue Authority Commissioner General, Dingani Banda, signaling a whole-of-government approach to the nation’s international economic engagement.