The Race to Turn Infrastructure into Jobs and Local Growth

 

By Alain Kabinda 

When Zambia gathers construction companies, Government institutions, investors and manufacturers at the Build Zambia Expo and Conference next month, the biggest question may not be how many people attend.

The Build Zambia Expo & Conference 2026 is being officially launched in Lusaka, with organisers challenging the construction industry to move beyond speeches and exhibition stands and turn business conversations into procurement opportunities, partnerships and jobs.

The Expo is Scheduled for September 23 to 24 at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre, the expo which is being positioned as a marketplace for the construction industry rather than simply another annual exhibition.

Speaking during the launch Permanent Secretary for Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Prof. Albert Malama, who unveiled the event, said infrastructure was fundamental to Zambia's economic transformation.

But he challenged Government agencies attending the event to come prepared to engage industry directly.

“The success of the expo should not be judged by how many people walk through the doors, but by the quality of participation and the value created,” Prof. Malama said.

His remarks capture the central ambition of the event: replacing passive exhibition with active business engagement.

The expo will include a Hosted Buyer Programme, expected to bring up to 100 qualified buyers from Government institutions, local authorities, mines, utilities and property developers.

Rather than simply browsing exhibition stands, buyers will meet suppliers with specific requirements.

For local companies, this could provide a rare opportunity to put their capabilities directly in front of organisations controlling major construction demand.

Yet the timing of the expo is significant because Zambia's local manufacturing sector is facing its own challenges.

UMCIL-Kafue Steel, one of the country's major steel producers, has warned that local manufacturers could miss out on the construction opportunities being created by infrastructure development.

And UMCIL Executive Director for Corporate Affairs Dr Phil Daka said the company's monthly steel production had fallen from 12,000 tonnes to 8,000 tonnes.

The company currently has about 5,000 tonnes of steel in stock, worth nearly US$4 million.

Dr Daka said approximately 350 jobs had been lost as production declined.

The country needs infrastructure and construction materials, while local manufacturers have the capacity to produce some of those materials. Yet manufacturers can struggle to secure sufficient demand to keep factories operating at full capacity.

The question, therefore, is whether Zambia's construction expenditure can be used to strengthen local industry instead of merely creating demand for imported products.

Dr Daka has called for stronger preference for locally manufactured steel in public projects and for a better industrial electricity tariff.

His argument is that Government procurement can do more than deliver roads, buildings and other infrastructure.

When a Government project purchases locally manufactured steel, for example, the economic impact potentially extends beyond the contractor.

It supports the steel producer, transporters, workers, suppliers and other businesses connected to the manufacturing chain.

“Let us manufacture in Zambia. Let us buy in Zambia. And together, let us Build Zambia,” Dr Daka said.

And speaking at the Launch NCC Executive Director Prof. Paul Makasa said the council was developing the expo as Zambia's “Premier Construction Marketplace and Industry Development Platform.”

An industry development platform should go further by identifying weaknesses, building relationships and creating opportunities for businesses to grow.

With a target of 500 delegates and 45 exhibitors, the organisers are hoping to create enough concentration of buyers, suppliers and policymakers to generate meaningful commercial discussions.

Also Kafue Steel joined as a sponsor, reinforcing the connection between construction demand and local manufacturing.

The expo will also feature a Skills Arena, where participants will compete in plumbing, electrical installation, carpentry and shopfitting.

Even the availability of financing, materials and contracts cannot guarantee quality infrastructure without skilled artisans and professionals capable of turning plans into physical structures.

The Skills Arena therefore provides an opportunity to showcase practical skills while highlighting the need to strengthen Zambia's construction workforce.

For young people looking for employment opportunities, a growing construction sector could offer pathways into skilled trades and entrepreneurship.

Prof. Malama has already cautioned that the event should not be judged by attendance figures alone.

For Zambia, building infrastructure is only part of the development equation. The country also needs to build the industrial ecosystem around that infrastructure — factories capable of supplying materials, companies capable of competing for contracts and workers equipped with the skills required to deliver quality projects.

The Build Zambia Expo arrives at a moment when the country is seeking economic growth, industrialisation and greater private-sector participation.

If Government, investors and construction companies can translate infrastructure demand into opportunities for local manufacturers and service providers, the impact could stretch far beyond the projects themselves.

It will require procurement decisions that recognise local capacity, competitive local industries, reliable energy supplies and constructive partnerships between Government and business.

As Zambia prepares for the September expo, the challenge is therefore bigger than building exhibition stands.

It is about building an economy in which infrastructure investment becomes a catalyst for local production, entrepreneurship and employment.

The real Build Zambia Expo will begin when the contracts are signed and the machines in Zambian factories start running at full capacity.