Zambia - Country Commercial Guide
eCommerce
Last published date:

Zambia’s telecommunications sector has experienced rapid growth over the past several years, with several private sector providers and the legacy telecom parastatal offering both consumer and business grade data and voice service at competitive rates, compared to other markets in Sub-Saharan Africa.  The 2009 Information and Communication Technologies Act regulates the telecommunication sector, and the Zambia Information and Communications Authority (ZICTA) regulates the ICT sector.

The 2021 Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act established extra-territorial reach for conduct determined to have an effect in Zambia.  Notably, the Act empowers law enforcement to intercept communications without notifying private citizens and allows cyber inspectors to access any ICT equipment reasonably believed to have been used in connection with an offense, without notifying the user in advance.  The Act also criminalizes hate speech and/or conduct through any form of communication, including social media.   The 2021 Data Protection Act is the primary data privacy and protection legislation in Zambia.  The Act includes data localization requirements for sensitive data and establishes the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, which is responsible for regulating controllers and data processors, and licensing data auditors.

Current Market Trends

Zambia has seen an increase in digital financial services, particularly the use of mobile money.  The Zambia Information and Communications Technology Agency (ZICTA) reported that mobile money transactions for 2022 totaled $14.8 billion. 

Domestic eCommerce:  

Affluent Zambians are comfortable purchasing electricity tokens, digital TV, paying their water bills, and using cardless transactions like eWallet.

Cross-Border eCommerce:  

The top countries from where Zambians make online purchases are the United States (eBay, Amazon); United Kingdom (eBay); and China (Alibaba). 

B2B eCommerce: 

Many businesses are increasingly digitizing their services and breaking the traditional analogue business models. 

  • The Zambia Electricity Supply Company (ZESCO) is interfacing with IT companies for the purchase and payment of electricity tokens;
  • Banks have partnered with private companies to provide payment platforms to enable bank accounts to be debited for online transactions;
  • Water utility companies, Zambia Revenue Authority, Road Transport and Safety Agency and many others have partnered with system integrators to allow for online bill payment;
  • Pay television and other services and products can be paid through mobile banking.  SMS Banking ATM and kiosk payments, online website payments, or using credit or debit cards.

Short Messaging Services:  

Banks provided access to accounts for purchases and payments to service providers such as government tax collection and pension agencies, and to electric, water, and cable television, and insurance companies.

eCommerce Intellectual Property Rights (IPR): 

The Patent and Company Registration Office has a small unit that deals with awareness and compliance but is not involved in enforcement.  The unit does not issue official guidelines on what constitutes eCommerce IPR violations or how to file complaints.

Commonly Referenced eCommerce Websites:

Kazang Pay – enables small shops and informal traders to sell prepaid airtime, data, electricity, and other services from a mobile app.

Online Payment:  

The most common payment methods for online eCommerce transactions in Zambia include:  mobile money, credit and debit cards, and Paybills.co.zm - a payment service that allows customers in Zambia to pay utility bills, pay television subscriptions, and buy air time using VISA or MasterCard.

Digital Marketing:  

There are very few digital marketing houses in Zambia.  Several websites offer free space for advertising on their websites, but often do not guarantee viewing benchmarks.  Companies purchase time on big digital screens located at major intersections that viewers see as they walk or drive by.  This remains a popular form of advertising in larger cities.  Marketing companies that offer advertising opportunities include:

Major Buying Holidays: 

The major consumer holidays and most popular shopping days in Zambia include:

  • Christmas
  • Black Friday (Adopted from the U.S. event following Thanksgiving)
  • Easter
  • Special Tuesday (Weekly discounts offered by providers)
  • Special Thursday (Weekly discounts offered by providers)

Social Media: 

Zambia was home to 2.70 million social media users in January 2023, equating to 13.3 percent of the population.  WhatsApp is the most widely used and popular app for messaging, phone calls, and business.  For many Zambians, WhatsApp is the primary communication platform.  Neither Twitter nor Instagram are widely used in Zambia.  Zambians primarily rely on Facebook to follow news and events, business networking, socializing, and for voice and video calls.  Many businesses use Facebook pages in lieu of company websites.