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The Bank of Zambia (BoZ) has issued the Currency Directives, 2025, which took effect on December 26, 2025 in a move aimed at strengthening the use of the Zambian Kwacha and Ngwee in domestic transactions.
The directives, it is said, are intended to enhance currency sovereignty, improve transparency in domestic payments, and support the effective implementation of monetary policy.
In a public notice issued on Friday evening, BoZ Assistant Director for Communications, Besnat Mwanza, said the directives were issued under the powers granted to the central bank by Sections 18 and 73 of the Bank of Zambia Act, 2022.
She recalled that in February 2024, the Bank announced it was considering measures to operationalise the use of the Kwacha and Ngwee for domestic transactions, a process that was followed by extensive nationwide consultations with key stakeholders from both the public and private sectors.
“The consultations, conducted in collaboration with the Public Private Dialogue Forum (PPDF) and other organisations, involved stakeholders from the mining, manufacturing, tourism, agriculture, financial sectors, as well as government,” Mwanza said.
She explained that the engagements, held across various parts of the country, provided an opportunity for stakeholders to be informed about the proposed policies and to contribute to the shaping of the final provisions.
According to Mwanza, the Directives reinforce the legal requirement that all domestic transactions be settled in Zambian Kwacha, in line with Section 18 of the Bank of Zambia Act, while also simplifying compliance for corporates, businesses and individuals.
She clarified that domestic transactions refer to private or public transactions involving payments made to persons residing in Zambia for transactions conducted within the country.
Mwanza added that the Directives include specific, carefully considered exemptions for certain domestic transactions and stressed that they do not apply to international transactions.
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