
07/04/2025
Nawakwi dies at 66!
Edith Nawakwi, Zambia's pioneering female opposition leader and first female Minister of Finance, has passed away at 66.
Born in 1959 in Mwenzo Village, Nakonde District, Muchinga Province, Nawakwi had a distinguished career in politics and economics.
She made history in 1998 by becoming the first woman to hold the post of Minister of Finance in Zambia and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
Nawakwi's academic background includes a degree in Agriculture Economics and Business Management from the University of Zambia and a post-graduate diploma in Economics of Energy and Development from Imperial College London.
Her impressive political career spanned multiple roles, including Minister of State for Energy & Water Development, Minister of Energy & Water Development, Minister of Agriculture, Food & Fisheries, and Minister of Labour & Social Security, serving under President Fredrick Chiluba from 1992 to 2001