Did you know 96% of Zambia’s exports are transported by road?

According to official government data for the […]

According to official government data for the month of August, total exports via all modes of transport continue to be highly dominated by road transport, which accounts for 95.8%.

The report seen by the Zambia Business Times-ZBT further indicates that the total value of exports via all modes of transport for the period January to July 2026 stood at K194.7 billion.

Additionally, out of the total of K194 billion, road transport accounted for the highest value at K186.6 billion, representing a 95.8% share, and air transport was second with K3.9 billion (2%), and rail transport was third with a value of K1.8 billion (0.9%). The report also shows that in terms of volumes of exports under the same period under review, 5.9 million metric tons were exported, of which road transport still accounted for the highest volume at 4.7 million metric tons, representing 79.7%.

 Further, rail transport in terms of volume was ranked second, accounting for 18.8 thousand metric tonnes (0.3%), and air transport was third, accounting for 2.5 thousand metric tonnes (0.04%), while other modes accounted for 1.2 million metric tonnes (20%).

However, some experts in the financial space emphasized the need for the country to diversify the export of goods to ensure that other modes of transport, especially rail, account for a higher share.

Earlier, the Zambian Business conducted interviews with the managing directors for the two major rail transport companies in Zambia (Zambia Railways and TAZARA) over improving the rail system. The managing director for Zambia Railways, then Eng.

 Cuthbert Malindi (former) explained that rail freight operations in Zambia involve both Zambia Railways Limited and private rail operators, with private sector players contributing to the movement of cargo by rail.

He further highlighted that, under Statutory Instrument No. 98 of 2020, the policy objective is for 30% of bulk cargo to be transported by rail.

However, Zambia’s rail freight volumes remain below this target due to a number of operational and infrastructure challenges.

“We are not yet close to achieving the 30% target stipulated under Statutory Instrument No. 98. The reasons are well understood and largely relate to infrastructure limitations, particularly the condition of the permanent way (rail track) and associated facilities,” Eng. Malindi said.

Article by Justine Phiri