infrastructure
ZAMBIA INFRASTRUCTURE KEY FIGURES
| Construction GDP Share 2025 | Real Growth 2025 | 2026 Budget, Road Infrastructure | Primary Financing Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.35% | 4.02% | ZMW 14.49 billion | Public Private Partnerships |
Construction accounted for 9.35% of Zambia’s GDP in 2025, growing 4.02% in real terms, as the government’s 2026 Budget allocates ZMW 14.49 billion to road infrastructure alone under an Economic Affairs function that finances most infrastructure projects through Public Private Partnerships.
Beyond roads, the 2026 Budget sets aside ZMW 1.83 billion for water supply and sanitation infrastructure, ZMW 1.70 billion for health infrastructure, ZMW 2.29 billion for school and university infrastructure, and ZMW 1.05 billion for provincial airports infrastructure.
Construction Sector Scale
Construction generated gross value added of ZMW 67.82 billion in 2025, up from ZMW 64.23 billion in 2024, equivalent to 9.35% of GDP at market prices, down slightly from 9.70% in 2024 as overall GDP grew faster than the sector[1]. In real, constant-price terms, construction output grew 4.02% in 2025[1].
2026 Budget Infrastructure Allocations
Zambia’s 2026 Budget allocates ZMW 253.09 billion in total expenditure, of which the Economic Affairs function receives ZMW 58.65 billion, or 23.2% of the budget, including ZMW 14.49 billion for road infrastructure and ZMW 1.05 billion for provincial airports infrastructure[2]. Additional infrastructure allocations sit within other budget functions: ZMW 1.83 billion for water supply and sanitation infrastructure under Housing and Community Amenities, ZMW 1.70 billion for health infrastructure within a ZMW 26.17 billion Health function, and ZMW 2.29 billion for school and university infrastructure within a ZMW 33.04 billion Education function[2]. Together, these five named infrastructure line items total approximately ZMW 21.36 billion, equivalent to 8.44% of the entire 2026 Budget[2].
Investment Opportunities
The Ministry of Finance and National Planning states directly that financing of infrastructure projects is now mostly through Public Private Partnerships, with debt contraction requiring Parliamentary approval as part of the government’s fiscal consolidation reforms, meaning private capital, not further sovereign borrowing, is the government’s stated default channel for new road, water, health, education and airport infrastructure going forward[2]. With road infrastructure alone drawing more than two thirds of the named infrastructure allocations in the 2026 Budget, transport-linked PPP structures represent the largest single category of infrastructure financing opportunity currently signalled by government policy[2].
Last Update: September 2026
