Five Zambian SMEs receive $100,000 equipment boost, head to Japan for business exchange

Five Zambian enterprises have each been awarded equipment support worth US$20,000—totalling US$100,000—under the Joint Empowerment Programme (JEP), a collaborative initiative between Zambia and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The selected enterprises include two from Lusaka, two from the Copperbelt, and one from Eastern Province.

They were chosen from a pool of 512 applicants following their outstanding performance in a national pitch contest held this year in February.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday by Zambia’s First Secretary for Press and Public Relations in Tokyo, Faith Chilube, the awardees will also undertake a business trip to Japan from May 9 to 17, 2025.

Chilube said the visit will be led by the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprise Development (MSMED) Permanent Secretary, Subeta Mutelo, as part of JEP’s broader aim to enhance SME growth through value addition and global partnerships.

During a courtesy call on Zambia’s Ambassador to Japan, Dr. Tobias Mulimbika, Mutelo commended the Zambian Mission in Tokyo for advancing the country’s economic diplomacy agenda.

She noted that JEP will facilitate twinning partnerships between Zambian and Japanese SMEs, promote technology transfer, and foster product innovation.

“The initiative will enhance value addition in key manufacturing sub-sectors and deepen SME capacity building, aligned with President Hakainde Hichilema’s vision for a value-driven, export-oriented economy,” she said.

Mutelo added that in 2024, JEP supported 30 Zambian SMEs using Kaizen methodology to improve operational efficiency. The five firms currently in Japan were part of that cohort and are now poised to scale up through international collaboration.

The JEP initiative targets SMEs in food processing, circular economy, wood and wood products, metal fabrication and light engineering, textiles, and leather goods. It has a total budget of K7.5 million, with JICA contributing K7 million and MSMED providing K500,000.

Ambassador Mulimbika praised the programme as a testament to the government’s commitment to SME development, describing it as one of the most impactful capacity-building initiatives to date.

“These SMEs are not only employers back home but also potential drivers of innovation and foreign exchange inflows. Their exposure to Japan’s advanced manufacturing and entrepreneurial culture will boost their competitiveness and unlock new markets,” he said.

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