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The Ministry of Community Development and Social Services has affirmed that comprehensive consultations were conducted regarding the introduction of the NGO Bill, 2025, stressing that the process has been transparent.
In a statement issued on Friday, Principal Public Relations Officer, Glenda Nachinga, clarified that the layman’s version of the Bill had already been submitted to the Ministry of Justice for processing.
This followed Cabinet’s approval of the Bill, which some NGOs had criticized for lacking sufficient consultation.
Nachinga emphasized that the NGO sector was adequately represented through various umbrella bodies, both local and international NGOs, as well as the Council of NGOs, which participated in the Technical Working Group.
Provincial consultations and subsequent validation meetings further ensured that both local and international NGOs were involved.
“The NGO Bill, 2025, approved by Cabinet for introduction in Parliament is a product of general consensus and reflects the aspirations of the NGOs in Zambia,” she said.
According to the Ministry, the Bill addresses the shortcomings of the 2009 NGO Act and ensures active NGO participation in national development, with self-regulation mechanisms included.
Nachinga also reminded stakeholders that the Bill was still at the legislative stage, and NGOs or other interested parties can make further submissions when it is considered by Parliament.
“Non-Governmental Organisations do appreciate that the law development process in Zambia provides that a Bill undergoes various stages, and stakeholders are welcome to make submissions during this process,” she added.
Nachinga was responding to a consortium of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) who have rejected the proposed Non-Governmental Organizations Bill, 2025, accusing the government of pushing forward with legislation that lacks meaningful consultations and could undermine the independence of the sector.
The CSOs are calling for the government to halt the introduction of the Bill, arguing that it fails to reflect broad consensus and meaningful input from the very NGOs it seeks to regulate.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Thursday, Arthur Muyunda, Executive Director of the Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD), spoke on behalf of the CSOs, expressing their concerns.
He stated that the media and NGOs had consistently opposed statutory regulatory mechanisms, especially those presented as “self-regulation,” warning that such laws often led to the suppression of independent voices.
Muyunda urged President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration not to repeat the mistakes of past governments, including the MMD and PF, which attempted to regulate the media and NGOs through restrictive laws.
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