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The government has announced the cancellation of all pending funding applications under the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) up to December 2025, with plans to reopen applications under a new product framework and revised process.
Speaking during an end-of-year ministerial briefing at the Radisson Blu Hotel on Tuesday, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Minister, Elias Mubanga, said applications under the new CEEC products will open on December 29, 2025, and close on February 13, 2026.
“The new products include Presidential Irrigation System Support, agricultural production and mechanisation loans for high-value crops and plantations, small-scale hammer milling plants, agro-processing and cold storage facilities, fish feed manufacturing, cage fishing and cold chain financing, as well as support for the media and creative industry,” Mubanga said.
He highlighted that non-tax revenue from SME formalisation nearly doubled to over K12.6 million in 2025, prompting the government to reset CEEC funding under the new framework. Mubanga noted that cooperative registrations contributed 66 percent and annual returns 33 percent of the total collections.
Read more: Govt losing K18 million annually, as 129,000 cooperatives fail to make annual returns, says Mubanga
He described 2025 as a transformative year for Zambia’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and the cooperative sector.
“Guided by government’s development agenda under the Eighth National Development Plan and our strategic plan, we have made significant strides in fostering entrepreneurship, improving access to finance, building capacity, and integrating SMEs into the digital and global economy,” Mubanga said.
The Minister added that the year was marked by record growth in the cooperative sector, major digital transformation initiatives, and comprehensive support programmes that empowered tens of thousands of entrepreneurs.
He emphasized that these achievements were anchored on strong collaboration with financial institutions, the private sector, cooperatives, and development partners.
Meanwhile, CEEC Director-General, Muwe Mungule, reported that since its launch, the commission has supported over 84,000 MSMEs and cooperatives, trained nearly 241,681 citizens in various skills, and facilitated the creation of 139,154 sustainable jobs.
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