Nyambose Inherits A Stable Labour Ministry, But The Real Test Is Delivery

The handover at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security on 9th November 2026 was more than a change of guard. It was a public audit of five years of reforms - and a clear signal of what the new Minister, Misheck Nyambose, must now deliver.

Outgoing Minister Brenda Mwika Tambatamba, now Zambia's first female Minister of Mines and Minerals Development, leaves behind a ministry that is financially stronger and relatively stable. Social security investments grew sharply under her watch - Workers' Compensation from K2.5 billion to K6.6 billion, and NAPSA from K54.5 billion in 2021 to K113.5 billion in 2026. NAPSA paid out K11 billion to about 600,000 beneficiaries without destabilising the fund. Industrial harmony, built on tripartism and social dialogue, was also sustained.

But Nyambose inherits unfinished business, and that is where his tenure will be judged.

First is the Productivity Bill, still not enacted, yet presented as central to the Grow Zambia Agenda. Without it, productivity remains a slogan, not a legal framework. Second is the NAPSA Pension Act No. 72 of 2026, which has been passed but not yet fully implemented. Workers are waiting to actually benefit from its provisions.

Third is the ratification of ILO Convention 102 on Social Security Minimum Standards, still pending and a key test of Zambia's commitment to international labour standards. Fourth are the outstanding amendments to the Industrial and Labour Relations Act and the Employment Code Act No. 3 of 2019.

Fifth is enforcement. Nyambose himself flagged companies employing workers without contracts. Warning employers is one thing; sustained enforcement will be the real measure. Sixth is labour migration. The proposed Memorandum of Understanding with Qatar and Saudi Arabia is still awaiting feedback. If concluded, it could open jobs and revenue - if managed to protect Zambian workers abroad.

Nyambose's message was clear: position Labour as a driver of the Grow Zambia Agenda, engage more, listen to workers, and enforce compliance. The foundation is there. The question now is whether continuity becomes completion.