The Editor Zambia
President Hakainde Hichilema has formally asked Parliament to approve the most substantial restructuring of Zambia’s government machinery since taking office, increasing the number of ministries from twenty-five to thirty in a move State House insists is essential to converting the ambitious targets of the Grow Zambia Agenda into tangible economic results.
The proposed realignment, tabled under Article 92(2)(d) of the Republican Constitution, will see the creation of new standalone portfolios in energy, trade, and housing, while splitting the sprawling education super-ministry into three distinct departments. 
Vice-President W.K. Mutale-Nalumango is expected to move the motion for approval, with the debate scheduled for 27 October 2026.
According to the official notice of motion, the restructuring is not a mere bureaucratic exercise but a deliberate attempt to align the “machinery of government” with the administration’s growth blueprint .
The Grow Zambia Agenda, which anchors the President’s second term, targets an annual growth rate of between 7 and 10 per cent to double the size of the economy within five years . Central to this plan are the “10-10-5-3-3-1-1-1” targets, which include producing 10 million tonnes of maize, generating 10 gigawatts of electricity, attracting 5 million tourists, and achieving 3 million tonnes of copper production .
The structural changes outlined in the document appear designed to address specific bottlenecks in these priority sectors.
Under the proposals, the current Ministry of Energy will be dismantled and replaced by two distinct ministries: Electricity and Petroleum. This split reflects the government’s twin challenges of addressing chronic power deficits with a target of 10,000 megawatts of installed capacity and securing fuel supply routes through pipeline links with Angola, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe . By creating a dedicated petroleum ministry, the administration appears to be signalling a more focused approach to fuel security and pricing stability, which has historically been a volatile political issue.
Similarly, the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry will be divided into Trade and Exports and a separate Industry ministry. This separation aligns with the Grow Zambia Agenda’s emphasis on value addition and local content, particularly in the mining and agricultural sectors. Analysts have long argued that lumping trade negotiations with industrial policy may have diluted Zambia’s ability to move beyond raw commodity exports. The creation of a standalone ministry of Industry suggests a more targeted push towards manufacturing and the “Proudly Zambian” campaign, which aims to retain more economic value domestically .
The education sector is also set for a significant overhaul. The current combined Ministry of Education and Technology and Science will be restructured into three entities: Education, Skills and Higher Education, and Technology and Science. This reorganisation comes as the government faces pressure to ensure that the expansion of free education translates into employable skills.
The President has previously stated that every district should have a skills training centre to bridge the gap between the classroom and industry demands. By elevating Skills and Higher Education to a standalone ministry, the government is likely attempting to fast-track the implementation of competency-based curricula and apprenticeship programmes.
Infrastructure and housing will also see changes, with the current ministry split into Infrastructure and Urban Development and a new Housing ministry. The latter is expected to address the growing demand for affordable housing in urban centres, a key component of the broader social protection agenda.
However, the expansion has not been without criticism. The opposition is likely to question the fiscal implications of funding five additional ministries, including the costs of new ministerial offices, staff, and administrative overheads . In a climate of fiscal consolidation following the successful Eurobond buyback, critics will argue that efficiency should be pursued through internal reorganisation rather than the creation of new bureaucratic fiefdoms.
State House has pre-emptively countered such arguments by framing the changes as a necessary investment in delivery. The Secretary to the Cabinet, Patrick Kangwa, has previously stated that the success of the Grow Zambia Agenda will be determined by what happens in the provinces, demanding that each region translate national targets into measurable local interventions . The new ministry structure, officials argue, will provide clearer lines of accountability for these targets.
As Parliament prepares to debate the motion, the focus will shift to whether this expanded cabinet can deliver the promised “growth that is felt in households.” For a nation that has spent the past five years stabilising its debt and restoring macroeconomic credibility, the political capital now rests on the belief that a more specialised government can finally unlock the production and investment needed to transform Zambia’s economic fortunes. The debate on 27 October will be the first test of whether Parliament shares that conviction.
