By Derrick Silimina

The Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM) has welcomed the Zambia Development Agency’s (ZDA) latest report detailing actualized investments from 2021 through June 2026.

Between 2021 and June 2026, the ZDA recorded $19.07 billion in actualized investments. The manufacturing sector led the way, accounting for $7.33 billion (38.5%) of the total, the highest share of any industry. Additionally, manufacturing generated 46,759 actual jobs, making it the second-largest contributor to employment across all monitored sectors.

In a statement, ZAM President Mohammed Umar said the findings reinforce the central role manufacturing continues to play in driving industrialisation, economic diversification and sustainable growth.

“These findings are consistent with official output data from the Zambia Statistics Agency, which shows manufacturing recording positive growth in every year of the review period: 4.7% in 2022, 4.5% in 2023, 2.3% in 2024, 7.1% in 2025, and 5.4% in the first quarter of 2026,” Umar said.

He noted that growth has been broad-based, supported by agro-processing, food and beverages, leather processing and metal fabrication, among other subsectors which confirms Zambia as a favourable investment destination with manufacturing taking the lead.

Umar outlined that sustained growth of this kind shows that rising investment is translating into real production capacity, value addition and employment, not simply commitments on paper.

“Manufacturing now accounts for nearly 10% of national GDP and continues to make a significant contribution to Government tax revenue (10.4% as at Q1 2026) and to the thousands of businesses that sit within domestic supply chains,” he stated.

The ZAM President emphasised that this performance is notable given the environment in which manufacturers have been operating considering energy constraints due to the drought, limited access to affordable long-term finance, and global economic uncertainty.

He added that growth has persisted regardless, reflecting sustained investor confidence in Zambia’s industrial potential, and manufacturers’ own determination to expand production and remain competitive.

“ZAM recognises the role Government reforms have played in this outcome. Macroeconomic stabilisation, regulatory reform, digitalisation of public services and stronger public-private dialogue, all highlighted in the ZDA report, have improved the investment climate and supported enterprise expansion.”