investment
INVESTING IN ZAMBIA KEY FIGURES
| ZDA Investment Commitments, 2025 Survey | Fiscal Incentive Threshold | Non-Fiscal Incentive Threshold | Net FDI Inflows 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| USD 7.0 billion | USD 500,000 | USD 250,000 | USD 2,359.4 million |
The Zambia Development Agency registered investment commitments totalling USD 7.0 billion in the period covered by its 2025 investor survey, up from USD 6.1 billion the year before, under a statutory investment promotion framework offering fiscal incentives to investors of USD 500,000 or more and non-fiscal protections from USD 250,000.
Zambia’s Development Agency Act No. 17 of 2022 and Investment, Trade and Business Development Act No. 18 of 2022 govern investor entry and incentives, while net foreign direct investment inflows separately reached a record USD 2,359.4 million in 2024, the highest level since consistent surveys began in 2010.
Zambia Development Agency and Investment Promotion
The Zambia Development Agency is a statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, established under the ZDA Act No. 17 of 2022, drawing its mandate from the Investment, Trade and Business Development Act No. 18 of 2022 to promote trade, business development and investment through a private sector-led economic development strategy[1]. Its stated mission is to promote and facilitate sustainable trade and investment for a diversified and industrialised economy, with a vision of becoming a world-class agency fostering a transformed and prosperous Zambian economy[1].
Investment Incentives
Investors putting at least USD 500,000 into a Multi-Facility Economic Zone, an industrial park, a priority sector or product, or a rural enterprise qualify for a 0% import duty rate and accelerated depreciation on capital equipment and machinery for five years[2]. Investors of at least USD 250,000 in those same categories qualify for investment guarantees, protection against state nationalisation, and free facilitation of immigration permits, secondary licences, land acquisition and utility connections[2]. Separately, the minimum investment threshold for wholly Zambian-owned investments in priority sectors has been reduced from USD 500,000 to USD 50,000[2].
Recent Investment Commitments
The Zambia Development Agency registered investment commitments totalling USD 7.0 billion in the period covered by the 2025 investor survey, up from USD 6.1 billion in the equivalent period the year before[3]. Separately, Zambia secured 14 new project commitments totalling USD 3.4 billion spanning energy, agriculture, manufacturing, mining, construction, and water and sanitation[3]. Mining continues to draw the largest share of committed and realised foreign investment, consistent with its dominant share of both foreign direct investment stock and export earnings, detailed on the dedicated FDI page[3].
Investment Opportunities
The gap between the USD 500,000 and USD 250,000 incentive thresholds and Zambia’s USD 50,000 threshold for wholly local investment in priority sectors marks two distinct entry points into the incentive framework, one for large foreign or joint-venture capital and one for smaller, fully Zambian-owned enterprises[2]. The 14 named project commitments spanning energy, agriculture, manufacturing, mining, construction, and water and sanitation also give a concrete, current cross-section of where new capital is actually being committed, beyond the aggregate USD 7.0 billion survey total[3].
Last Update: September 2026
