A deeper commitment to Zambia’s development goals
IN A demonstration of long-term commitments, the African Development Bank (AfDB) started the process of building its new permanent Lusaka office on June 6, 2025.
The ground-breaking ceremony was graced by Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane.
The event, co-officiated by AfDB vicepresident Nnenna Nwabufo, attended by country director Olaniyi Durowoju, senior
government officials and business leaders, is a strategic turn in a 54-year partnership that has invested US$2.7 billion in Zambian infrastructure since 1971.
The structure, which will be ready in 2027, comes on the heels of the launch of AfDB’s Country Strategy Paper (CSP) 2024-2029, a road map that aligns the bank’s “High 5” priorities with Zambia’s Eighth National Development Plan and Vision 2030.
The ceremony and alignment with CSP 2024-2029 strategy Dr Musokotwane emphasised the timing of the office: “This permanence speaks to our mutual commitment to change Zambia’s economic texture.”
The event aligns with the three pillars of the CSP:
*Infrastructure integration: About 34 percent of AfDB sovereign lending is allocated to transport infrastructure, which is critical in linking Zambia’s copper mines to regional corridors like Lobito and Dar es Salaam.
*Energy diversification: Aligned with Zambia’s ambition to treble copper output, the CSP aims at reducing hydro dependency through solar and gas projects – a requirement Dr Musokotwane highlighted at the January 2025 Mission 300 Energy Conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
*Modernisation of agriculture:
The CSP aligns with climate-smart value chains, moving towards bringing agriculture from 3.3 percent to 10 percent of GDP by 2029.
Permanent offices in Africa: Comparative lessons for ZambiaPermanent offices of the AfDB have
lessons that Zambia should take note of.
The current AfDB’s 35 country offices in Africa offer documented benefits – and caveats – to host nations:
Written benefits include:
*Faster project implementation:
Egypt’s office reduced bureaucratic procedures by 40 percent and expedited approval of a US$677 million SME reform package in 2023.
*Crisis response: Morocco used its office to raise US$800 million during COVID-19 for rural healthcare improvement.
*Investor confidence: Ghana’s permanent office mobilised US$53 million private co-financing for agro-industrial zones in 2024.
*Knowledge transfer: Tunisia’s office guided a €90 million wastewater re-use project, integrating solar energy to cut costs – a model that is relevant to Zambia’s climate-vulnerable agriculture.
Managed demerits
*Burden on resources: Host countries sometimes grant land/security. Mitigation:
AfDB finances construction itself like in the case of its Lusaka office.
*Policy influence issues: Critics accuse Multilateral Development Bank overreach.
Protection: AfDB’s 60 percent Africanmajority voting structure assures regional control.
*Urban-rural imbalances: Tunisia’s office initially concentrated investments in coastal towns. Corrective: AfDB’s 2024-2033 strategy mandates 50 percent rural allocation.
Relative impact of AfDB permanent offices on Africa
Egypt’s permanent office accelerated approval and passage of a US$677 million private sector reform package in 2024, which directly catalysed the creation of 200,000 SME jobs through streamlined access to capital and business environment improvements.
Local agility: Physical offices cut project lead times, for example Egypt’s 40 percent faster approvals.
In Ghana, the AfDB’s in-country presence enabled the rapid launch of a US$58 million Accra Urban Transport Project with a 30 percent decrease in Greater Accra congestion – a productivity and air-quality victory.
Angola used its AfDB office to critically align the bank’s CSP with Vision 2050 national goals, generating quantifiable economic diversification progress beyond oil through strategic investment in agriculture and renewable energy.
National alignment: Offices integrate AfDB priorities into host country frameworks (Angola’s CSP-Vision 2050 synergy).
Morocco’s office secured an US$800 million combined health and SME financing package in the post-pandemic recovery, raising rural electrification by 15 percent while expanding healthcare access to two million people in poorly developed areas.
Crisis response: Proximity enabled the access to funds in a timely manner (Morocco’s health/SME package during economic instability).
These examples give Zambia a real road map for streamlining its new Lusaka office – most concretely in pushing high-impact initiatives like Mission 300 (energy access) and CSP-driven transformation.
What Zambia can reasonably expect from the Lusaka office
Tangible opportunities
*Energy access acceleration: The office will speed up Zambia’s access to Mission 300, extending 300 million Africans with power. Dr Musokotwane called this “non-negotiable” for mining development.
*Enhanced accountability: Local staff will monitor CSP implementation, ensuring that projects like the Kazungula Bridge Solar Farm meet 2026 deadlines.
*Knowledge transfer: Tunisia’s solarpowered wastewater re-use model (€90M) gives Zambia blueprints for climate adaptation.
Boundary conditions
*No debt bailouts: The office cannot accelerate Zambia’s US$3.5 billion debt talks but can offer technical advisory.
*No substitute for governance: As AfDB’s 2024 fragility report records, success in projects requires Zambia to improve corruption rankings (CPI score: 33/100).
*Limited financing: Zambia has to fight for pieces of AfDB’s portfolio – Africa only gets three percent of international climate finance.Professional analysis: The CSP 2024-2029 as Zambia’s growth driver
The worth of the permanent office relies upon implementing the CSP’s two pillars that were CSP 2017-2023, namely “Boosting private sector development through infrastructure investments” and “Agricultural value chain development for job creation targeting women and the youth” through the following existing initiatives outlined in the current CSP (2024-29):
*Industrialisation via mining linkages: Utilising copper revenues (70 percent of exports) to fund agroprocessing parks, based on Ghana’s US$53 million Eastern Corridor initiative.
*Climate-proofing agriculture: Utilising AfDB’s Special Adaptation Fund
(US$44 million window) for droughtresilient maize – paramount as 78.8 percent of rural Zambians are poor.
*Regional integration: Finalising the Tanzania-Zambia interconnector to access East African electricity markets, with potential additional exports of US$300 million annually.
Risks and mitigations
*Copper price volatility: AfDB can de-risk mining investment by providing partial guarantees, for instance the Kwacha-denominated Zambeef loan.
*El Niño disruptions: The office must speed up CSP climate ventures – Zambia’s hydro-power reservoirs are currently at 42 percent capacity.
*Political transitions: The 2026 general election can delay reforms.
Solution: Integrate CSP targets into bipartisan Vision 2030 plans.
Conclusion: More than bricks and mortar – a nerve centre for change Lusaka’s office goes beyond real estate; it solidifies the AfDB footprint on Zambia’s development path.
As vice-president Nwabufo put it, “We plant roots where we see resilience.”
For Zambia – beset by inflation, power shortages and climate shocks – this lastingness provides an opening to expertise, financing, and regional connections.
Success, nevertheless, as the Ghana CSP illustrates, demands unwavering local ownership. If Zambia uses this proximity to diversify beyond copper, energise farmers and capture transparency, the office could set Africa’s next benchmark for Multilateral Development Bank-host synergy – converting mineral wealth to lasting human security.
The author is an industrialisation
