Good morning, distinguished members of the media, ladies and gentlemen.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this End-of-Year Media Breakfast, and I sincerely thank you for taking time to join us today. Your presence reaffirms the critical role the media plays as a trusted partner in informing, educating, and engaging the public on matters of national importance.

The Zambia Qualifications Authority (ZAQA) is a statutory body operating under the Ministry of Education. The Authority was originally established under the Zambia Qualifications Authority Act No. 13 of 2011 and continues in existence under the Zambia Qualifications Authority Act No. 8 of 2024. Under this legislation, ZAQA is mandated to develop, implement, and maintain the National Qualifications Framework, or NQF.

The National Qualifications Framework is a comprehensive national system for the classification, registration, and recognition of qualifications and learning achievements in Zambia. It integrates qualifications across general education, trades and occupations, and higher education into a single, coherent framework. Anchored in the ZAQA Act No. 8 of 2024, the NQF enhances transparency, comparability, and portability of Zambian qualifications, both nationally and internationally. It promotes learner access, mobility, and progression, supports lifelong learning, and ensures that qualifications are quality-assured and aligned to labour-market needs.

I am pleased to highlight that on 31^st October 2025, the Honourable Minister of Education, Hon. Douglas Syakalima MP, approved the revised National Qualifications Framework. The revised Framework aligns qualification levels with the 2023 Zambia Education Curriculum Framework and introduces A-Levels within the General Education sub-framework, as well as the Bachelor of Honours Degree within the Higher Education sub-framework. Importantly, the revised NQF strengthens learning pathways and promotes lifelong learning through recognition of prior learning, in line with the evolving skills demands of our economy. The review of the NQF was necessary to ensure its modernization and continued relevance to the country’s education reforms and labour-market needs.

Ladies and gentlemen, in fulfilling its mandate, ZAQA is responsible for registering qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework, verifying the authenticity of both national and foreign qualifications, and ensuring that Zambian qualifications are internationally comparable. The Authority has developed policies that support recognition of prior learning, as well as credit accumulation and transfer, thereby enhancing learner mobility within Zambia and beyond our borders. ZAQA is also responsible for developing National Occupational Standards, which define the knowledge, skills, competencies, and performance requirements for occupations across various economic sectors. Through these functions, the Authority safeguards the integrity and credibility of Zambian qualifications and contributes meaningfully to education, employment, and socio-economic development.

Allow me, ladies and gentlemen, to share some of the key achievements recorded this year, as of 20^th of December 2025. The Authority verified over 59,137 qualifications, of which 53,655 were local and  5,482 were foreign qualifications. This achievement reflects the Authority’s strengthened capacity to conduct qualification verification services. This is a critical safeguard, designed to protect employment and higher-education opportunities for individuals who hold genuine qualifications.

During the same period, 1,999 qualifications were issued with notices of rejection following successful completion of the verification services. These cases arose from various factors, which include:  qualifications being obtained from institutions without legal authority to award them, enrolment in programmes that were not quality-assured or aligned to NQF standards, and instances of absolute fraud. This underscores the importance of verification as a quality-assurance and public-protection mechanism.

In this regard, I wish to emphasise that according to Section 29 of the ZAQA Act No. 8 of 2024, qualification verification is now mandatory for employment purposes and for enrolment into tertiary education institutions. I therefore encourage members of the public to verify their qualifications early to avoid delays or missed opportunities.

With respect to qualification registration, the Authority has to date registered 872 qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework, with 298 new qualifications registered this year alone. Registration on the NQF confirms that qualifications offered by awarding bodies have met prescribed quality standards and are formally recognised within Zambia’s national quality-assurance system. It also enhances national and international recognition of Zambian qualifications.

However, it is important to note that the 872 registered qualifications represent only a small proportion of the total number of qualifications currently being offered in the country. This underscores the need for awarding bodies to expedite the submission of their qualifications for registration on the Framework.

In recent months, ZAQA has received an increasing number of requests from regional qualifications authorities and recognition bodies seeking confirmation on the registration status of Zambian qualifications. While the Authority is able to confirm registered qualifications with ease, such requests have proven challenging where qualifications have not yet been registered on the National Qualifications Framework, thereby limiting their recognition beyond our borders.

For this reason, I strongly encourage all Zambians to verify that the programmes they intend to pursue are registered on the Framework. This information is readily available on ZAQA’s website and official social-media platforms. Registration protects learners, supports regional and international mobility, and safeguards the credibility of Zambia’s qualifications system.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is important to acknowledge that at the initial stages of implementing ZAQA’s expanded mandate through the ZAQA Act No. 8 of 2024, there were understandable concerns regarding the Authority’s capacity to effectively manage the increased scope of responsibilities. These concerns were not unfounded, given the growing demand for qualification registration and  verification services.

However, I wish to assure you that ZAQA has been steadily and deliberately building its institutional capacity to respond to these demands. First, the Authority has enhanced staffing levels, particularly within the Qualifications Services Department, which is at the core of registration and verification functions. Second, ZAQA has undertaken a comprehensive review of its systems and internal processes to improve efficiency, reduce bottlenecks, and strengthen accountability.

Third, ZAQA has established a Call Centre to ensure that client queries are addressed promptly and efficiently. While the initiative is still in its early stages and experiencing initial operational challenges, it has already received positive feedback from the public, underscoring its value in improving service delivery.

Fourth and importantly, Government, through the Government Service Bus, is supporting ZAQA in the development of a new, integrated and user-friendly digital system. This system will significantly enhance efficiency, improve turnaround times, and provide a better service experience for our clients.

These measures reflect ZAQA’s commitment to continuous improvement and to delivering a credible, responsive, and efficient qualifications system that meets both national and international expectations.

We acknowledge that there have been instances of delays in the verification of qualifications. These delays are primarily due to the increasing volume of applications, incomplete or inconsistent documentation, delayed confirmations from awarding institutions, particularly foreign or defunct institutions, the complexity of certain legacy or cross-border qualifications, and the rigorous due-diligence processes required to prevent fraud. While these procedures may take time, they are essential to safeguarding learners, employers, and the public interest. We therefore appeal to our clients for patience as we work diligently to address these matters.

In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, ZAQA remains fully committed to building a credible, transparent, and internationally comparable qualifications system. We deeply value the cooperation of all stakeholders, including the media, as we continue to strengthen our systems and deliver timely, reliable, and trusted services in support of learners, employers, and national development.

Ladies and gentlemen, I sincerely thank you for your attention and wish you a merry Christmas and a prosperous 2026.

Thank you.