10/10/2025
Higher Education Indaba 2025 Concludes with a Call to Action and Long-Term Vision
By Mapalo Kasama
The inaugural Higher Education Indaba 2025 has concluded today at the Avani Victoria Falls Resort in Livingstone, with a strong call to action from Southern Province Minister, Credo Nanjuwa, urging stakeholders to move beyond dialogue and implement tangible reforms in Zambiaβs higher education sector.
Held under the theme βUnlocking Zambiaβs Potential Through New Investments in Quality Higher Education,β the three-day event brought together academics, government officials, industry leaders, civil society representatives, students, and development partners to explore strategies for aligning higher education with the countryβs socio-economic priorities.
Mr Nanjuwa praises the convening efforts of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and described the Indaba as a landmark moment in the evolution of Zambiaβs education policy discourse.
He says that they had witnessed history in the making and that the Indaba had set a new standard for stakeholder engagement in the higher education sector.
Mr. Nanjuwa echoes the breadth and depth of the discussions held during the Indaba, noting their focus on innovative financing models, strengthened public-private partnerships for infrastructure development, ICT integration in institutional management, student financing and curriculum alignment, and the transformation of academic research into commercial and policy-relevant outputs.
He acknowledged the collective intellectual contributions made throughout the event and emphasized the need for follow-through.
Mr. Nanjuwa cautions that the Indaba must not become a mere talking shop or result in a report that gathers dust on a shelf, emphasising that they had the blueprints, had identified the problems, and must now become the builders.
Calling for continuity, Mr. Nanjuwa proposed that the Higher Education Indaba be held biennially and become a permanent fixture in Zambiaβs national education calendar.
He tasked the Higher Education Authority with producing a comprehensive record of proceedings, which should serve as both a reference and roadmap for reform.
Mr. Nanjuwa further notes the alignment of the Indabaβs objectives with the Zambia Education Curriculum Framework 2023 and emphasizes the need for stronger connections between academia and industry to prepare students for the demands of the modern economy.
Mr. Nanjuwa reaffirms the New Dawn Governmentβs commitment to transforming the higher education sector through collaborative partnerships, policy alignment, and strategic investment.
He says that their fears for tomorrow had been replaced with optimism, adding that the government would work with stakeholders to link the brilliant ideas from the Indaba with the country's strategic direction to achieve the aspirations of the 8th National Development Plan, Vision 2030, and Sustainable Development Goal No. 4.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Education, Permanent Secretary for Administration, Ms. Noriana Muneku, states that the Indaba had reaffirmed a shared national vision for a resilient, inclusive, and innovative higher education system central to Zambiaβs socio-economic transformation.
Ms. Muneku reported that among the key resolutions were calls for public HEIs to pursue self-sustaining projects, stronger public-private partnerships, investment in digital infrastructure, and greater integration of research into policymaking.
She further reiterates the Ministryβs commitment to advancing these recommendations and directed the Higher Education Authority to submit a comprehensive communiquΓ© for policy consideration.
Ms. Muneku also commended private HEIs for their role in supporting government efforts and praised the Higher Education Authority for successfully organizing the inaugural event.
The 2025 Higher Education Indaba marks a pivotal moment in Zambiaβs ongoing education reform agenda, with stakeholders across sectors pledging to carry forward the momentum generated in Livingstone.
