Gaborone, Botswana | March 24, 2026 – The National Prosecution Authority (NPA) is strengthening its fight against environmental crime, with prosecutors from its newly established Environmental and Wildlife Crimes Department, created in December 2025, undergoing specialised training in Gaborone.
Deputy Chief State Advocate and Head of Department, Mrs. Martha Tembo-Weza, is attending the programme alongside Senior Public Prosecutor Mr. Alex Yanganani at the U.S. International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA). The week-long course focuses on tackling illegal logging and complex forestry-related offences.
Mrs. Weza’s participation signals the NPA’s commitment to building a highly skilled unit from the ground up, reflecting a deliberate approach where leadership is directly involved in shaping expertise and strengthening prosecutorial capacity.
The programme brings together prosecutors, investigators, and customs officials from across Southern and Central Africa, highlighting the shared regional understanding that environmental crime is organised, transnational, and increasingly sophisticated.
For Zambia, this training is timely. Illegal logging continues to threaten natural resources, biodiversity, and sustainable development, often involving cross-border criminal networks that demand coordinated, expert legal responses.
Through practical sessions, case simulations, and peer learning, participants are enhancing their ability to investigate and prosecute these offences effectively.
“The skills we are gaining here will go a long way in improving how we handle forestry crime cases,” said Mr. Yanganani.
As the country’s newest prosecutorial department, the Environmental and Wildlife Crimes Department is building capacity at both the leadership and operational levels, ensuring that knowledge gained is embedded across the team and translated into stronger, more effective prosecutions.
The message is clearly that environmental crime is no longer a peripheral concern. The NPA is equipping its prosecutors to act decisively and protect Zambia’s natural resources.