Lusaka, 10 July 2025 – Senior staff from the National Prosecution Authority, Financial Intelligence Centre, Anti‑Corruption Commission, Zambia Police Service, and other Inter‑Agency Framework institutions convened at the Southern Sun Hotel for an important Scoping Mission on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Financial Investigations & Asset Recovery Curriculum Implementation. With all 21 member agencies of the Framework having formally endorsed the curriculum in January 2024, the focus turned to breathing life into it through strategic planning.
Developed under Zambia’s Inter‑Agency Framework and funded by the EU AML‑CFT ESCAY programme, the curriculum standardises training across law enforcement, prosecution, and asset-recovery functions. It blends regional best practices with local insights to create a robust, unified toolkit for financial crime response.
The Learned Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Gilbert A. Phiri SC, framed the day as the vital turning point between intention and implementation:
“Today’s meeting is… the first concrete step toward breathing life into a curriculum that has remained dormant for over a year.”
He underlined that the curriculum is not a static document, but a transformational instrument – designed to level up the quality of investigations, streamline prosecutions, and advance asset recovery. Mr. Phiri also called on agencies to translate institutional support into measurable action.
Reflecting on the meeting’s weight, DPP Phiri emphasised Zambia’s resolve when he acknowledged past criticisms, “we have been accused of persecuting people, but no, we are not persecuting anyone.” The DPP made it clear that misuse of public office for personal gain is never tolerated. He invoked former President Levy Mwanawasa’s call to “take away the money from the pockets of the few thieves and put it in its rightful place”, describing all present as the embodiment of that hope. His message rang loud – this is action, not rhetoric.
Mr Tuemay A. Desta, Senior Technical Advisor, highlighted that SecFin Africa provides support to more than 40 countries in Sub‑Saharan Africa, through four regional hubs and strategic backing from French, German, and Spanish public institutions. He pointed out that illicit financial flows in Africa erode both development and governance. According to Mr Desta, SecFin’s mission is to reinforce national AML/CFT systems, promote cross-border collaboration, and increase the watchdog role of civil society .
Mr Victor Zimba, Acting Director-General of the Financial Intelligence Centre, emphasised that the Centre is a central hub in Zambia’s AML/CFT architecture – collecting and analysing Suspicious Transaction Reports, generating strategic intelligence, and collaborating with law enforcement and oversight bodies. He highlighted the Centre’s growing role in supervising reporting entities, shaping policy, and reinforcing the rule of law. Mr. Zimba described the curriculum’s rollout as more than a training exercise but that it is a reinforcement of institutional integrity and public trust, ensuring stolen assets are not only traced but returned within a strengthened governance framework.
SecFin Africa is a continent-wide programme supporting national authorities in over 40 Sub‑Saharan countries. Funded by the European Union and implemented by experts from GIZ, Expertise France, CIVIPOL, and FIIAPP, it strengthens AML/CFT systems to counter illicit money movements that, annually, siphon nearly as much as Africa receives in international investment. SecFin delivers technical assistance, regional integration, and capacity-building, ensuring institutions are better equipped to prevent and recover illicit assets.
Under the decisive leadership of the Learned Director of Public Prosecutions, Zambia is transitioning from drafting a curriculum to activating a national movement. With all 21 institutions under the Inter‑Agency Framework, the NPA has reignited momentum behind the nationally endorsed curriculum and set in motion a collaborative process to flesh out the AML/CFT roadmap.
Though the blue print remains under development, the concrete agreements and scheduled follow-up meetings represent unmistakable progress. With support from SecFin Africa, GIZ, and the European Union, Zambia is now poised to translate policy into practice. Investigators and prosecutors are stepping into a new era with world-class skills to drive asset recovery, and rebuild public trust in our governance systems.
As the NPA spearheaded the January 2024 signing of the curriculum, marking a historic inter‑agency milestone, so too is it now leading implementation, ensuring that justice is not just promised, but actively pursued.
