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The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has launched a major initiative to secure support for the construction and operationalisation of Zambia’s first-ever National Drug Rehabilitation and Skills Development Centre.
The drive was the focus of a high-level Stakeholders’ Breakfast Meeting at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Lusaka on Tuesday, attended by senior government officials, corporate leaders, cooperating partners, diplomats, and development agencies.
Vice President, Dr. Mutale Nalumango, officiating at the event described the Centre as more than just a facility, calling it “a sanctuary for second chances” and “a bridge connecting addiction to healing, despair to dignity, and isolation to community.”
She emphasized the urgent need for a coordinated and compassionate national response to drug and substance abuse, which she said continues to affect individuals, families, communities, and the wider economy.
“The proposed Centre will integrate medical treatment, psychological support, vocational training, and social reintegration,” Nalumango said, reaffirming the government’s commitment to addressing the scourge through a multi-facility rehabilitation centre.
DEC Director General, Nason Banda, revealed that between 2021 and 2024, the Commission assisted 5,473 individuals with drug use disorders, excluding those helped by other organisations and the many still suffering in silence.
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“During the same period, DEC conducted 12,434 prevention education activities, reaching more than 2.4 million people in communities, schools, and workplaces,” Banda said.
He called on participants from government, the corporate sector, diplomatic missions, and development organisations to pledge financial, technical, and institutional support to ensure the Centre’s success, stressing that it would transform lives, strengthen communities, and contribute to Zambia’s national development goals.
Dr. Jane Marie Ongolo, UNODC Regional Representative for Southern Africa, commended the Zambian government for adopting a holistic and evidence-based approach to drug dependence and pledged continued technical assistance, capacity building, and policy support to ensure the Centre meets international standards and serves as a regional model.
Meanwhile, Vice Chairperson of the Bankers Association of Zambia (BAZ) and Stanbic Bank Chief Executive, Mwiinde Siakalima, highlighted the link between drug dependency and transnational organized crime, stressing the need for integrated inter-agency efforts to effectively address the challenge.
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