The Grow Zambia Agenda

An Enabler of Growth in the Sectors That Matter.

The Grow Zambia Agenda sets Zambia's course for the next five years: from stabilisation to growth, with jobs, capital for entrepreneurs, markets for farmers, opportunities for women and young people, and development in every district. mBenki's agency network, inquiry data and off-grid nodes are built to put that growth within reach of households and small businesses. We seek to work with the leading government agencies and other stakeholders to help achieve these goals.

  • 10m t maize
  • 10,000 MW electricity
  • 5m tourists
  • 3m t copper
  • 3m t soya
  • 1m t wheat
  • 1m t sugar
  • US$1bn beef exports

Work with Us Sector by Sector

The Agenda

From Stabilisation to Growth

Unveiled at the President's inauguration on 2 September 2026, the agenda names eight production targets and the outcomes they are meant to deliver: employment, markets for farmers, capital for entrepreneurs and opportunities for women and young people. It commits to accelerated decentralisation, deeper cooperation with the private sector, and a shift from dependency to production.

"Economic growth must mean something at the dinner table."

President Hakainde Hichilema, inauguration address, 2 September 2026

Jobs and Opportunity

Growth is measured by whether a graduate finds work, a farmer finds a market and an entrepreneur finds capital. Distribution is how products and capital reach them.

Decentralisation

Resources and responsibility move to provinces, districts and constituencies. Delivery needs people and channels that are already there.

Production, Not Handouts

A move from the "tantameni" mentality to productive work. An agency network pays for outcomes: an agent earns when a customer is served.

Sector by Sector

Where Our Solution Enables Growth

For each focus sector: the target, the public institutions whose mandates carry it, and what mBenki brings. These are the agencies and stakeholders we seek to work with.

Agriculture and Livestock

10m t maize · 3m t soya · 1m t wheat · 1m t sugar · US$1bn beef

Who Leads

The Ministry of Agriculture holds the crop targets and runs the Farmer Input Support Programme; the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock leads on beef. Around them sit cooperatives, farmer unions, agro-dealers and the financial institutions that fund the season.

What We Enable

  • Smart Agents in farming districts connect farmers to input credit, savings and insurance from financial institutions, at the farm gate and the market rather than a distant branch.
  • Inquiry data shows which products farmers ask for, where, and which are refused, so institutions and planners see seasonal demand by district.
  • Verified agent IDs give a farmer a way to check who is handling an application before any money moves.

Entrepreneurs and Small Business

Capital for entrepreneurs · jobs and business opportunities

Who Leads

The Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprise Development and the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission lead on enterprise finance; the Zambia Development Agency on investment; the Bank of Zambia on the National Financial Inclusion Strategy.

What We Enable

  • Traders, shop owners and kiosk operators become Smart Agents, adding an income line to a business they already run.
  • Their customers, who rarely walk into a branch, are matched to a financial institution's product and submit a complete application from where they are.
  • Customer Inquiry Management records the demand institutions are turning away, which is the clearest map of where capital is missing.

Women and Young People

Opportunities for women and young people

Who Leads

The Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts and the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services lead on empowerment programmes, alongside the Gender Division and the organisations that train and fund young entrepreneurs.

What We Enable

  • Becoming a Smart Agent is free, needs no float and no shop: a phone, training and certification are the entry requirements.
  • Social financial agency lets a young person turn their followers and contacts into qualified leads and income.
  • Every agent carries a public, verifiable ID with a customer rating, so a first-time earner builds a track record from day one.

Energy and the Last Mile

10,000 MW of generation capacity

Who Leads

The Ministry of Energy, ZESCO, the Rural Electrification Authority and the Energy Regulation Board lead on generation and access, with independent power producers and off-grid providers filling the gaps the grid will take years to reach.

What We Enable

  • SmartPowerLink nodes bring reliable power and connectivity to communities and businesses the grid does not yet serve, so they can take part in growth now.
  • Each node is a service point: financial services, telehealth and agent operations in one place.
  • The same agents can distribute energy products and finance for them where institutions offer those.

Every Province, Every District

Decentralisation · no province or district excluded

Who Leads

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, provincial administrations, district councils and Constituency Development Fund committees carry decentralisation into communities.

What We Enable

  • Agents are recruited, trained and verified in the district they serve, so distribution already lives where decentralised resources arrive.
  • Agency Ops Manager gives institutions and partners a district-level view of agents, activity and outcomes.
  • Field data and agent swarms can collect structured information for local planning and programme design.

Mining Communities and the Corridor

3m t copper · trade corridors

Who Leads

The Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development leads on output; mining companies, corridor operators and the Lobito Corridor Alliance shape the economies that grow around the mines and the rail.

What We Enable

  • Off-grid nodes along the corridor give communities power, connectivity and services where infrastructure passes through but does not stop.
  • Agents in mining towns connect workers, suppliers and households to financial institutions.
  • Economic intelligence from the field shows where corridor benefits are reaching local businesses, and where they are not.

Working Together

What We Bring to the Table, and What We Ask

mBenki is a private Zambian company, certified by the Data Protection Commission and built with the association that represents the country's mobile money agents. We do not speak for any ministry. We publish this page because our work is designed to serve the agenda's goals, and we invite the institutions that lead it to work with us.

Government Ministries and Agencies

We offer a verified agent network and district-level field data for programme delivery and planning. We ask for pilot districts, data-sharing frameworks and a seat where agent standards are set.

Regulators

Agent verification, consented data collection and conduct standards aligned with the Bank of Zambia, ZICTA and the Data Protection Commission. We ask for guidance as agent-led distribution scales.

Financial Institutions

Distribution into the districts and sectors the agenda prioritises, paid for on outcomes. We ask for products designed for farmers, traders and first-time borrowers.

Development Partners and DFIs

A measurable last-mile channel for inclusion, enterprise and energy-access programmes, with field data as evidence. We ask for co-investment in network expansion and off-grid nodes.

Associations and Cooperatives

Farmer unions, trader associations, youth and women's organisations: recruitment, training and distribution through members who already serve their communities.

Local Authorities

Provincial administrations, councils and constituency committees: agents recruited in the district, and a view of activity and outcomes at the level where decentralised resources arrive.

Next Step

Let Us Show You Where We Can Help.

For ministries, agencies, development partners and institutions: a working session on the districts and sectors where an agency network can move your numbers.

Work with Us For Institutions

Or Reach Us Directly