ZDA
ZAMBIA DEVELOPMENT AGENCY KEY FIGURES
| Governing Act | Priority Sectors | 2025 Survey Commitments | Fiscal Incentive Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZDA Act No. 17 of 2022 | 8 | USD 7.0 billion | USD 500,000 |
The Zambia Development Agency is the country’s statutory investment and trade promotion body, established under the ZDA Act No. 17 of 2022, promoting eight priority sectors including mining, agriculture, tourism, energy, construction, water supply, ICT and Special Economic Zones.
The 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, and administers statutory incentives including a 0% import duty rate for investors of USD 500,000 or more.
Mandate and Structure
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[1].
Priority Sectors and Special Economic Zones
The Agency designates eight investment priority sectors: information and communication technology, water supply and development, construction, mining, energy, tourism, agriculture, and Special Economic Zones[2]. It positions Zambia’s mining sector on the basis of being the world’s seventh-largest copper producer with about 6% of global reserves and roughly 20% of world emerald output, concentrated in Copperbelt Province though increasingly established in North-Western Province, and its tourism sector on the basis of Victoria Falls, 20 national parks and 34 game management areas covering some 23 million hectares[2]. Manufacturing, spanning food and beverages, textiles, wood and paper among other sub-sectors, contributes about 8% of GDP on the Agency’s own figures[2].
Services to Investors
Beyond investment promotion, the Agency runs e-Services and a Deal Room for investors, business development services and training programmes, a joint venture partnership registration facility, and export-facing services including sector and market briefs, trade agreement information, and exporter registration[2].
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 under the ZDA Act[3]. 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[3].
Investment Opportunities
The Agency’s own USD 7.0 billion 2025 survey total, up from USD 6.1 billion the year before, alongside its eight designated priority sectors and its Special Economic Zones mandate, together mark out both where Government is actively steering new investment and the statutory route, and incentive thresholds, through which that investment is expected to flow[3][4].
Last Update: September 2026
