The Multi- Facility Economic Zone (MFEZ) is a Government programme. Introduced to Zambia in 2005 by the Japanese Government through Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA).

The aim is to  create a platform for Zambia to achieve economic development by attracting significant domestic and foreign direct investment (FDI) through a strengthened policy and legislative environment. The initiative emphasises on political will and integrity, private sector dynamism and integrity and civil service efficiency and integrity as key forces that enable the economy to attain accelerated economic development.

The implementation of MFEZs in Zambia is designed to make Zambia competitive through increased activity in the trade and manufacturing sectors, which have numerous positive spillover effects in other sectors such as utilities, transport, agriculture and services.

The MFEZs are, special industrial zones for both export-oriented and domestic-oriented industries. The zones will have the well appointed infrastructure in place in order to attract and facilitate establishment of world-class enterprises in the zone (s).

The MFEZs blend the best features of the free trade zones (FTZs), export processing zones (EPZs) and the industrial parks/zones concept and create the administrative infrastructure, rules, regulations etc that benchmark among the best dynamic economies. The blending of physical infrastructure with an efficient and effective administrative infrastructure will create the ideal investment environment for attracting major world class investors.

The legislation governing the MFEZs, is mainstreamed in the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) Act No. 11 of 2006 under section 18.

In addition, the regulations and guidelines governing the declaration and establishment of MFEZs were put in place through a Statutory Instrument No. 65 of 2007.

Section 5 (p) of the ZDA Act no. 11 of 2006 mandates ZDA to administer, control and regulate MFEZs in Zambia.

The MFEZ incentives are non discriminatory and applies fairly to all eligible investors be it from Zambia or outside Zambia.

The Ministry has to date declared six (6) areas as MFEZs and /or Industrial Parks vis-à-vis: Chambishi, Lusaka East, Lusaka South, Lumwana; and Ndola (Sub Saharan gemstones exchange) and Roma as an Industrial Parks.

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Multi-Facility Economic Zone