Crown Agents, the not-for-profit international development organisation based in the UK with operations in over 80 countries, has officially reopened its country office in Zambia. The grand opening of the Zambia office was marked with a reception held in the capital, Lusaka, attended by guests including senior government officials, the diplomatic corps, and development partners.

The new office strengthens Crown Agents’ 40+ years presence in Zambia and reaffirms the organisation’s commitment and continued support to the people and Government of Zambia, repositioning the organisation to be even more responsive as a trusted development partner.

The reopening of the office also marked the debut visit to the country by Crown Agents CEO, Fergus Drake OBE. He said:

Crown Agents has a long history in Zambia based on a strong partnership with government and civil society.

We established our presence here over 40 years ago and pride ourselves on understanding the nuts and bolts of government systems and the challenges they face when delivering value for money for their citizens. We stand ready to support our clients and partners in public service delivery and beyond. 

With our long history working here and based on the positive trajectory that Zambia is undergoing, the re-opening of this office marks a new juncture in our journey.

Led by the Zambia Country Director, Ms Nalucha Ziba, the new office will allow Crown Agents to expand its service offering in Zambia and the southern Africa region, as well as facilitate the long-term management and monitoring of new and existing projects, taking into account the development priorities of the Government. The new office will also strengthen Crown Agents’ collaboration with other regional development partners.

Crown Agents Zambia Country Director, Nalucha Ziba, said:

Crown Agents has a longstanding partnership with Zambia, dating back to the 1980s. This special partnership has played a significant role in supporting our partners on the ground and the Government of the Republic of Zambia to advance major reforms. Whilst we did not always have an office in-country despite being actively involved in various projects, Zambia has always been an important global stakeholder for us and we are very pleased that this milestone enables us to strengthen it further.

The opening of the new office is testament to Crown Agents’ priorities on the African continent and comes in response to the organisation’s ongoing engagement with the Government of Zambia and its aim to continue to positively contribute to the country’s economic and social development.

Zambia’s Minister for Green Economy and Environment, H.E. Honourable Collins Nzovu, who was the guest of honour at the reception, said:

This launch signifies a commitment to supporting the government in its quest to transform Zambia by improving the lives of our citizens through quality and efficient service delivery.

I [would like to] take this opportunity to congratulate Crown Agents for taking the bold step to reopening its country office. As a government we look forward to closer collaboration and partnerships in delivering programmes and projects around the climate-health nexus, building nature-based solutions, supporting the renewable energy transition and ensuring sustainability across all areas of society.”

Crown Agents’ impact in Zambia

Over the past 40 years, Crown Agents has been a catalyst for prosperity in Zambia.

The reopening of the new office follows a seven-year hiatus where although Crown Agents had no physical office, it maintained a presence in the country through various projects such as the USAID-funded Accountable Governance for Improved Service Delivery Project (AGIS), which worked closely with the Government of Zambia to ensure funds spent in the health and education sectors are managed transparently and achieve maximum impact. Over 2,000 civil servants were trained in Public Finance Management and it was under this project, that over 25,000 teachers were trained country-wide in January 2022 to ensure that schools were ready to receive grants from the government with the introduction of free education.

In the late 1990s and 2000s, with funding from the U.K. government, Crown Agents supported the Government of Zambia to strengthen and run the Zambia Revenue Authority, dramatically increasing domestic revenue generation.

And for years, Crown Agents supported the government to restructure and manage what was at the time, Medical Stores Limited, now the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency. Crown Agents also supported the Ministry of Community Development with its social cash transfer program and set up the logistical support that the Ministry needed to get out to the communities and work directly with beneficiaries.

As the Japanese Government’s procurement agent for Zambia, Crown Agents manages procurements for both the Ministry of Local Government and the University of Zambia’s veterinary department. This is in addition to managing the Japanese Non-Project Grant Aid, a revolving grant fund which the Ministry of Finance directs toward private sector development.

-ENDS-

Media Contact:

For further information, high-resolution images and/or to request an interview, please contact:

Angela Kolongo
Senior Communications Manager
Email: Angela.Kolongo@crownagents.co.uk
Mobile: +44 (0)7890 959712

Crown Agents Zambia:

Nalucha Ziba
Country Director
Crown Agents Zambia
Email: Nalucha.Ziba@zw.crownagents.com

For information about our work in Zambia, visit https://bit.ly/Zambia-AGIS

Notes to Editors

About Crown Agents:

Crown Agents is a UK not-for-profit international development company with decades of experience supporting governments, working in some of the most difficult contexts in the world and focusing on the most vulnerable in society.

Crown Agents’ work reaches over 120 million people in 80 countries, with expertise in Procurement Reform, Public Sector Transformation, Humanitarian & Stabilisation, Climate Change, Last Mile Supply Chain, Health System Strengthening and Training & Professional Development.

For more information about Crown Agents, visit our website: https://www.crownagents.com

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