Zambia has secured a US$6.1 million grant from Japan to support railway maintenance.
The grant announcement comes about twenty months after President Hakainde Hichilema’s official working visit to Japan in February 2025, where he met Japanese Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba and addressed the Zambia-Japan Business Forum in Tokyo.
Ministry of Information and Media Director Spokesperson, Henry Kapata, says during that visit, the President engaged Japanese leaders and businesses on investment and economic cooperation.
Mr Kapata says the two countries also signed an investment agreement aimed at promoting and protecting investment.
He said the President’s programme included a train journey from Tokyo to Nagoya, offering a glimpse of Japan’s transport infrastructure and the role that efficient rail services play in moving people and supporting economic activity.
Mr Kapata has told ZANIS business news that the railway grant now provides an opportunity to examine how Zambia’s engagement with Japan fits into the country’s efforts to improve transport infrastructure, move goods more efficiently and support the production targets under the Grow Zambia Agenda.
He says for farmers, manufacturers and mining companies, reliable rail transport can make a practical difference.
“It can help move bulk goods over long distances, reduce pressure on roads and connect production areas to markets,” said Mr Kapata.
Mr Kapata noted that the benefits will depend on where the funding is applied, the maintenance work it supports and how reliably the railway operates.
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