Chinese capital accelerates Zambian growth

Chinese capital accelerates Zambian growth

Chinese companies are heavily invested in Zambia, and their presence has spurred development.

By Leon Louw founder of WhyAfrica and Endorphin Expeditions.  

When driving on the T2 (Great North/Kafue Road corridor) one passes an industrial complex about 20km south of Central Lusaka that could be a gamechanger for Zambia.

The complex is owned by a company called the Wonderful Group of Companies and it is Zambia’s first integrated ammonia and urea fertiliser plant.

It was completed in phases, with total investment estimates ranging from about USD600-million to more than USD1-billion.

At full capacity, the plant is expected to produce enough urea and ammonia for Zambia to meet domestic demand and potentially supply neighbouring markets.

Links to Chinese investors

Fertiliser is one of Zambia’s largest agricultural imports.

Local production will stabilise supply for farmers and support the country’s ambition to become more self-sufficient in agriculture.

The complex includes a power plant, and its development forms the core of a much larger industrial park planned to host a multitude of factories.

The Wonderful Group of Companies has links to prominent Chinese investors and is one of the most visible private industrial players in Zambia, particularly around Lusaka.

The group initially produced packaging materials, PVC ceiling boards, ceramics and over the last few years more fertiliser.

Its first factory was built in Lusaka in 2011 and has since grown into a diversified manufacturing operation employing more than a thousand people, with multiple subsidiaries under its umbrella.

Chinese presence palpable

Chinese involvement in Zambia is substantial. Estimates vary, but there are generally believed to be between 500 and 700 Chinese companies active in the country, ranging from large state-owned mining houses to small trading and construction firms.

Most of them are involved in mining, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, retail and infrastructure development.

In Lusaka and in and around the Copperbelt, Chinese-built roads, housing developments, equipment suppliers and industrial plants are now part of the landscape.

Several local people that I spoke to in Lusaka and in Kitwe, told me that Chinese companies create a lot of employment, but that it is difficult working for Chinese companies mostly because of the language barrier.

They also questioned whether local communities benefit much from Chinese investment.

However, they admit that Chinese capital has helped build factories, mines and infrastructure at scale and speed that Zambia could not easily finance alone.

I recently visited Lusaka, the Copperbelt and Zambia’s North-Western Province as part of the 2026 WhyAfrica Business Trip organised by WhyAfrica’s sister company tour operator Endorphin Expeditions.

In picture is the new fertiliser plant that could be a gamechanger for Zambia. Image credit: Leon Louw for WhyAfrica.

Chinese capital accelerates Zambian growth