Troubled Nawakwi, first female finance minister dies. Here are 10 things to remember about her.

Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) leader, Edith Nawakwi, has died after battling a protracted illness in South Africa, where she was undergoing medical treatment.

Nawakwi was a pioneering leader whose career spanned public service, politics, and economic reforms.

Here are key facts about Edith Zewelani Nawakwi:

1. Born on June 24, 1959, in Mwenzo, Nakonde District, Northern Province, Nawakwi was a highly accomplished economist.

2. She held a degree in Agricultural Economics and Business Management from the University of Zambia, and a postgraduate diploma in Economics of Energy and Development from Imperial College London.

3. Her professional journey began in the Ministry of Transport and Communication as an Energy Economist from 1983 to 1985.

4. She later became Executive Secretary of the National Energy Council, playing a significant role in shaping Zambia’s energy policy.

5. Nawakwi entered politics in 1990 as a founding member of the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD), quickly rising to become a National Executive Committee Chairperson and Member of Parliament for Nakonde (1990–2001).

6. She went on to represent Munali Constituency from 2001 to 2006.

7. Throughout her career, she held several ministerial portfolios, breaking numerous gender barriers.

8. She served as Deputy Minister and later Minister of Energy and Water Development (1992–1996), Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries (1996), and became the first woman in Zambia and the SADC region to be appointed Minister of Finance in 1997.

9. She also served as Minister of Labour and Social Security from 1999 to 2001.

10. In 2001, she co-founded the FDD, serving as Secretary-General and Vice President before being elected President in 2005—becoming the second woman after Gwendoline Noreen Chomba Konie to lead a political party in Zambia.

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At the time of her death, Nawakwi was facing multiple legal challenges.

She had been charged with abduction and threatening violence against Feluna and Milton Hatembo, in a case that drew national attention.

The State had recently applied to the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court to verify her health condition at her residence following repeated court absences, but the request was dismissed.

Magistrate Irene Wishimanga had earlier ruled that she had a case to answer, placing her on defense with proceedings scheduled to begin on December 2, 2024.

She had also planned to call at least 75 witnesses in a separate case involving seditious practices.

Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course, according to FDD spokesperson Anthony Chibuye.

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