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Zambia’s Office of the Attorney General says it has recorded a sharp increase in demand for legal reviews, with more than 4,600 contract letters submitted since the start of 2025, prompting the rollout of a new digital system to manage the backlog.
Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha said the existing paper-based system was no longer sustainable due to prolonged delays, high storage costs, and the risk of misplacing critical legal documents.
Kabesha was speaking in Lusaka during the launch of the Contract Tracking and Management Information System (CTMIS) by the e-Government Division, SMART Zambia Institute, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice.
The CTMIS is a digital platform designed and deployed by SMART Zambia to revolutionize contract processing, enhance public service delivery, and completely replace the manual process with a secure, fully electronic workflow.
“This will allow legal officers to track, review, annotate, and return contracts promptly without the need for physical handling or courier services,” Kabesha stated.
He said ministries, local authorities, and state-owned enterprises would now submit contract documents directly to the Office of the Attorney General through the online portal.
Kabesha stressed that adopting CTMIS was essential to ensure timely and efficient handling of contracts, with turnaround times expected to drop from weeks to days.
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He stated that the system would also generate automated audit trails to strengthen oversight and improve accountability in government contracting.
Secretary to the Cabinet, Patrick Kangwa, said the initiative aligned with the government’s broader digital transformation agenda aimed at modernizing public service operations.
“The manual system had become costly and cumbersome, requiring physical movement of files between ministries, provincial administrations, and the Ministry of Justice headquarters,” Kangwa said.
He added that CTMIS would eliminate unnecessary travel, reduce expenditure on stationery and printing, and ultimately save public resources.
“CTMIS will provide technical support to government operations and ensure efficiency in contract management,” Kangwa stated.
He further said the platform will enhance transparency, with all contract submissions, reviews, and approvals now traceable in real-time through a secure digital dashboard.
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