ZAMBIA · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —The country Zambia is a landlocked southern African democracy led by President Hakainde Hichilema, re-elected in August 2026.
- —What happened Parliament approved the president’s plan to dissolve five ministries and create ten, the Zambia Daily Mail reported on Wednesday 28 October 2026.
- —The big split Zambia splits energy ministry work into a Ministry of Electricity and a Ministry of Petroleum.
- —Other changes Commerce, infrastructure, lands and youth portfolios are also reorganised, and a Ministry of Skills and Higher Education is created.
- —Size of cabinet News Diggers reported that the government proposes to raise the number of ministries from 25 to 30.
- —Who moved it Vice President Mutale Nalumango, the Leader of Government Business, moved the motion in the National Assembly.
- —Still open The names of the new ministers and the exact date they take office have not been announced.
Zambia splits energy ministry in two after Parliament approved President Hakainde Hichilema’s plan to reorganise his government, the Zambia Daily Mail reported on 28 October. The old Ministry of Energy is replaced by separate Ministries of Electricity and Petroleum.
For US investors, miners and energy suppliers, the change creates separate government counterparts for power and for fuel in a major copper economy. President Hichilema won a second term in the August election.
What Parliament Approved in Lusaka
The National Assembly, Zambia’s single-chamber parliament in the capital Lusaka, approved a proposal to establish, merge and dissolve government ministries. The Zambia Daily Mail said a majority of lawmakers supported the motion.
Vice President Mutale Nalumango, who leads government business in the House, moved it, and Speaker Nelly Mutti put the question to members. The government says the aim is a more efficient state that delivers its Grow Zambia Agenda, its economic programme.
Five Ministries Go and Ten Take Their Place
Five ministries are dissolved: Energy; Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development; Commerce, Trade and Industry; Lands and Natural Resources; and Youth, Sport and Arts. Ten replace them, among them Trade and Export, Industry, Electricity, Petroleum, Housing, Lands, Skills and Higher Education, and Culture and Arts.
Nineteen ministries keep their names, including Finance and National Planning, Mines and Minerals Development, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Defence. Nalumango said some duties will still move between ministries even where the name stays the same.
Why Electricity and Petroleum Get Their Own Ministries
Nalumango told the House that dedicated Electricity and Petroleum ministries are needed to answer changing energy demand and to support growth. She said an Electricity ministry is needed to look for innovative ways of generating, transmitting and supplying power.
When Zambia splits energy ministry duties, power generation and fuel supply get their own ministries. She also described culture and the arts as an economic opportunity that can draw tourists and create jobs.
How the Plan Reached the House
President Hichilema wrote to Parliament under Article 92(2)(d) of the constitution, which requires lawmakers to approve new, merged or dissolved ministries. The request came in a statement from Clayson Hamasaka, the president’s chief communications specialist, issued in Lusaka on Monday.
Jack Mwiimbu, the member for Monze East, backed the motion and called it non-controversial and in line with the Grow Zambia Agenda. News Diggers, an independent Lusaka paper, reported on Tuesday 27 October that the government wants to raise the number of ministries from 25 to 30.
What It Means for US Readers
Now that Zambia splits energy ministry work in two, American suppliers of mining gear, solar plants or fuel deal with two ministries instead of one. The government has not said which new ministry will handle licences, power-purchase agreements or fuel import rules.
The Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development keeps its name and its place in the cabinet. Investors tracking Zambia’s election result and second term can read it as a larger cabinet tied to the same Grow Zambia Agenda.
What Is Not Known
The government has not published which ministers will lead the ten new ministries or when they will be sworn in. The cost of running five more ministries has not been stated.
It is also unclear where the natural resources duties of the old Lands and Natural Resources ministry will go. Officials have not said how civil servants and budgets will be moved between the old and new ministries.
More: Zambia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean that Zambia splits energy ministry work?
After Zambia splits energy ministry duties, the Ministry of Energy no longer exists. Its work is divided between a Ministry of Electricity and a Ministry of Petroleum.
Who approved the changes?
Zambia’s National Assembly approved them on a motion from Vice President Mutale Nalumango. The constitution requires this approval before ministries can be created, merged or dissolved.
How many ministries will Zambia have?
News Diggers reported that the number would rise from 25 to 30. The Zambia Daily Mail listed five ministries dissolved and ten created.
Does the change affect copper mining rules?
The Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development keeps its name and its place in the cabinet. Vice President Nalumango said some functions will still move between ministries even where names stay the same.
When will the new ministers be named?
The government has not given a date. News Diggers reported that it wants to raise the number of ministries from 25 to 30.
Sources: Zambia Daily Mail, 28 October 2026; Zambia Monitor, 26 October 2026; News Diggers, 27 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief