Zambia close to home — the provinces, cities and councils, local government, service delivery and the civic stories that shape daily life.
Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission seized cannabis and codeine syrup hidden in the fuel tank of a Copperbelt-bound bus in Kabwe and arrested five people, in its latest trafficking interception.
Paramount Chief Mpezeni IV, the Ngoni traditional ruler of Zambia's Eastern Province, has died at 75 after a 44-year reign. Government has begun engaging the Royal Establishment on succession.
The World Health Organization reported 906 suspected Ebola cases and 223 suspected deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an escalation of the Bundibugyo outbreak now pressing on Zambia's northern border and Copperbelt cross-border trade.
The World Health Organization declared the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda a global health emergency on 17 May, with 80 deaths reported and no licensed vaccine for the strain. Zambia is now screening arrivals at Kasumbalesa, Kashiba, Mokambo, Jimbe and Chembe — the five border posts that handle most road traffic with the DRC, including the copper and cobalt that move down the North-South corridor.
To stand for president in Zambia, a candidate cannot rely on a single regional base. The Constitution requires the nomination to be supported by registered voters from each of the country's ten provinces — a deliberate test of national reach. The Electoral Commission of Zambia ran provincial pre-processing of presidential supporters from 11 to 15 May 2026 to verify those backers before nominations. Here is how the rule works and why it exists.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia has extended the nomination period for National Assembly, mayoral and council-chairperson candidates ahead of the 13 August general election. The presidential window closed on schedule; this extension covers the down-ballot races. The move buys parties more time to finalise adoptions, but it also tightens the calendar that follows — objections, the courts and the gazette all have to happen before campaigning proper begins.
Kansanshi Mining PLC says it spent about US$21 million on local procurement in the first quarter of 2026, drawing supply from 553 local companies and renewing contracts with named suppliers including Cable Network Solutions and Blue Lithium Communications.
Local is the beat closest to readers — Zambia's provinces, its cities and districts, and the councils and civic institutions that run them. The section follows local government and service delivery: water and sanitation, roads and markets, housing and land, electricity at the household level, and the everyday decisions taken in Lusaka, on the Copperbelt and in towns from Livingstone to Solwezi. The framing is practical and accountable — who is responsible, what was promised, what was delivered, and what it costs the people who live there. National policy matters here only where it lands on a street, a clinic or a classroom, and the reporting keeps that local end of the telescope in view.
Politics
Zambian government, policy and governance — the decisions that set the rules for everything else.
Business & Economy
Zambian business, the macro economy, trade and investment — what is moving and why it matters.
Health
Public health in Zambia — hospitals and clinics, disease and outbreaks, medicines, and the Ministry of Health.
