Nairobi, Kenya, 12 May 2026 — The Zambia Qualifications Authority (ZAQA) is participating in the 1st National Qualifications Conference 2026, being hosted by the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) from 12th to 14th May 2026 at Emara Ole-Sereni, Nairobi, Kenya. The Conference is being held under the theme: “A Decade of Transformation and Reimagining Qualifications in Kenya: Advancing Quality, Relevance, Inclusion and Recognition in Kenya’s Qualifications and Skills for Lifelong Learning and Employability.”
ZAQA is represented by the Director General, Mrs. Mercy M. Ngoma, who participated as a panellist during the high-level panel session on “The National Qualifications Framework as a Tool for Inclusion and Regional Integration.” Thesession brought together leaders from qualifications authorities and related institutions to discuss how National Qualifications Frameworks can support inclusion, lifelong learning, recognition, comparability, portability and mobility across Africa.
During the panel discussion, Mrs. Ngoma spoke on national implementation of qualifications reform and its regional implications, highlighting Zambia’s experience in strengthening the National Qualifications Framework as a tool for quality assurance, recognition, comparability and mobility. She emphasised that regional integration begins with strong, trusted and transparent national qualifications systems.
Mrs. Ngoma further noted that National Qualifications Frameworks earn international trust when qualifications are credible, transparent, comparable and linked to real learning, skills and labour-market needs. She identified the key pillars of a globally competitive qualifications framework as a clear legal and governance framework, transparent qualification standards and level descriptors, strong internal and external quality assurance, labour-market relevance, stakeholder engagement, lifelong learning pathways, and trusted qualifications registers and data systems.
The Conference provides a platform for policymakers, regulators, qualifications authorities, education and training institutions, employers, development partners, researchers and practitioners to share experiences on strengthening qualifications systems for quality, relevance, inclusion, recognition and employability. Expected outcomes include strengthened collaboration among actors in the qualifications landscape, enhanced recognition and mobility, promotion of lifelong learning, and the positioning of qualifications frameworks as strategic tools for skills development and employability.
ZAQA’s participation in the Conference reaffirms its commitment to strengthening mutual trust and cooperation among African states through credible, transparent and comparable qualifications systems that support the recognition, portability and mobility of learners and workers across the continent.
Issued by:
Corporate Communications Unit
Zambia Qualifications Authority
Lusaka
