For years, the relationship between Zambia and its citizens living abroad has often been measured in familiar terms: money sent home, relatives supported, houses built and families sustained. But the Zambian Diaspora is becoming much more than a source of remittances. Zambians living in the United Kingdom, United States, South Africa, Botswana, Australia, Canada, the […]

For years, the relationship between Zambia and its citizens living abroad has often been measured in familiar terms: money sent home, relatives supported, houses built and families sustained.

But the Zambian Diaspora is becoming much more than a source of remittances.

Zambians living in the United Kingdom, United States, South Africa, Botswana, Australia, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere remain connected to the country through their families, businesses, professions, investments, citizenship and interest in what happens at home.

That relationship was placed firmly in the spotlight this week following a statement from Isaac Mulezuma Njobvu, Diaspora Coordinator Chairperson, on the post-election situation in Zambia.

The statement, issued on 23 September, raised concerns about the political and human-rights environment following the 13 August 2026 General Elections. Among the issues highlighted were the treatment of political opponents, freedom of expression, the death of former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya during a security operation, and the cancellation of passports belonging to several prominent government critics.

But beyond the individual issues raised, the statement raises a much broader question:

What role should Zambians living abroad play in the affairs and future of their country?

The Diaspora is already part of Zambia

The Zambian Government itself recognises the importance of that relationship.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation’s Diaspora Portal describes the Zambian Diaspora as the country’s “Eleventh” province and as a partner in national development.

The Government’s stated objectives include consultation, collaboration, investment, remittances, awareness, skills transfer, patriotism and the mobilisation of Diaspora communities for developmental and humanitarian causes.

That description is important because it moves the discussion beyond the traditional image of a Zambian abroad simply sending money home.

A doctor working in London may possess expertise that can benefit a Zambian hospital.

An engineer in Johannesburg may have knowledge that could be useful to a local company.

A Zambian entrepreneur in Dubai may want to establish a business at home.

An academic in the United States may be able to collaborate with a Zambian university.

A technology specialist in Canada may have ideas, networks or investment that could support a Zambian start-up.

And a second-generation Zambian born abroad may have never lived permanently in Zambia but still regard the country as an important part of their identity.

The relationship therefore works in both directions.

When the Diaspora speaks, what is it speaking as?

The latest statement is political, but it also illustrates an important reality: Zambians abroad do not necessarily leave their citizenship, identity or interest in national affairs at the airport.

Njobvu’s statement argues that the Diaspora’s concerns go beyond which political party wins or loses and instead concern the strength of institutions, constitutional protections and citizens’ ability to participate in national affairs. Those are the views expressed by the statement’s author and should be understood in that context.

The question for Zambia is therefore not simply whether people abroad should comment on events at home.

It is how such participation can take place constructively.

Zambians abroad can be investors, professionals, parents, students, entrepreneurs, academics, journalists, artists, researchers and community leaders.

They can also be citizens with political opinions.

Those different roles can exist simultaneously.

The politics of being connected to home

The post-election period has generated international attention, including a Commonwealth statement calling for respect for rights and the rule of law, due process and a transparent investigation into the security operation in which Kafwaya died.

The European Parliament also debated the situation and on 17 September adopted a resolution concerning post-electoral repression in Zambia and the killing of Kafwaya.

These developments have inevitably become part of conversations among Zambians abroad.

But Diaspora engagement should not be reduced to international criticism of Zambia.

The same people discussing politics may also be sending money to relatives, investing in farms, paying school fees, running businesses, supporting community projects or considering whether to return home.

That is the more complicated—and more interesting—relationship.

From remittances to investment

The economic contribution of the Diaspora is one of the clearest areas where this relationship can develop.

Government’s Diaspora Portal specifically identifies investment and remittances among its engagement priorities. It also highlights opportunities for knowledge exchange and skills transfer through a Diaspora database.

The challenge is turning that potential into sustainable economic activity.

Sending money to support a family is different from investing in a business.

Buying a house is different from building a company.

Returning for a holiday is different from returning permanently.

And having professional expertise abroad is different from finding a practical mechanism through which that expertise can be used in Zambia.

These distinctions matter.

For the Diaspora, questions of trust, regulation, banking, land, management, taxation, partnerships and accountability can influence whether someone chooses to invest in Zambia.

For Zambia, the question is how to create an environment in which people abroad can participate without feeling that distance automatically places them outside the national development conversation.

The skills question

Perhaps one of the greatest untapped areas is skills.

Zambia has professionals working across the world in medicine, engineering, information technology, finance, education, science, business and many other fields.

Some left for education.

Others left because of employment opportunities.

Some established families abroad.

Others simply found opportunities that were not available at home at the time.

But migration does not necessarily mean permanent separation.

A Zambian specialist abroad can teach, mentor, invest, consult, conduct research, establish partnerships or eventually return.

That is why skills transfer deserves to be treated as seriously as financial remittances.

The Government’s own Diaspora framework recognises the need to develop a database of Diaspora skills to facilitate knowledge exchange and skills transfer.

The bigger question is whether enough practical pathways exist to make that transfer easy and meaningful.

And then there is the question of home

For some Zambians abroad, “home” is a place they remember.

For others, it is where their parents were born.

For some, it is where they return every Christmas.

For another generation, it may be a country they know largely through stories, relatives, food, music and family traditions.

This is particularly important as a new generation of Zambians grows up outside the country.

What does Zambia mean to a child born in London to Zambian parents?

What does citizenship mean to a young Zambian studying in South Africa?

Can someone who has lived abroad for 20 years still feel fully connected to the country?

And what can Zambia do to keep that connection alive?

These are not merely political questions.

They are questions about identity.

A relationship that needs both sides

The Diaspora cannot be expected to contribute only when Zambia needs money, expertise or investment.

Nor should living abroad automatically give anyone greater authority over the people who live in Zambia.

A healthy relationship requires engagement from both sides.

Zambians abroad need reliable information, accessible institutions and practical avenues for participation.

Zambia needs the Diaspora’s skills, networks, investment, ideas and international experience.

Both sides also need to recognise that the Diaspora is not a single political or social bloc.

Zambians abroad will have different political views, professional interests, economic circumstances and reasons for leaving or remaining overseas.

There is therefore no single “Diaspora position” on every national question.

What exists is a large and diverse community of Zambians whose relationship with home continues in different ways.

Beyond the election

That is ultimately why this week’s statement matters beyond the immediate political debate.

It is another reminder that the conversation about Zambia increasingly extends beyond Zambia’s physical borders.

The Government has created a formal Diaspora engagement platform and explicitly identifies Zambians abroad as partners in national development.

The Diaspora, meanwhile, continues to demonstrate that it is capable of speaking about Zambia, investing in Zambia, working for Zambia, supporting families in Zambia and, when it chooses, challenging or questioning developments in the country.

The task now is to make that relationship more productive.

The conversation should include politics, but it should not end there.

It should include remittances, investment, skills, education, business, citizenship, families, identity, culture and the stories of Zambians building lives across the world while remaining connected to home.

That is the conversation Zambia & Diaspora will follow.

Because being Zambian does not necessarily end at the border.

Sometimes, it simply takes a different form.

Zambia & Diaspora — connecting Zambia with its people wherever they are in the world.