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General Information
LANGUAGES
There are over 73 dialects spoken in Zambia, but
the official language is English. All media and busi-
ness is in English, as most Zambians speak it fairly
well. Bemba is the next most commonly understood
language, followed by Nyanja, Tonga, Luvale, Lozi,
Mambwe and Tumbuka.
While it is normal to speak English plus a local lan-
guage, most Zambians speak a number of local lan-
guages fluently.
RELIGIONS
Freedom of religion and worship are widely re-
spected in Zambia with over 15 different prominent
churches. Christianity is followed by over 60% of the
population, however there are also large groups of
Hindus and Muslims originating from the Asian com-
munities. Simultaneously, traditional African beliefs
are widely respected and adhered to as well.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
• 1st January, New Year’s Day
• 8th March, International Women’s Day
• 12th March, Youth Day
• April, Good Friday
• April, Easter Monday
• 1st May, Labour Day
• 25th May, Africa Freedom day
• 6th July, Heroes’ Day
• 7th July, Unity Day
• 3rd August, Farmers Day
• 24th October, Independence Day
• 25th December, Christmas Day
BUSINESS WORKING HOURS
Government offices are open from 08 a.m to 4:30
p.m, Monday to Friday. Some government offices
are closed from 12:30 p.m to 2:30 p.m for lunch.
Lunch hour for most companies is from 1 p.m to 2
p.m. Most banks are open from 08:30 a.m - 3 p.m
Monday to Friday. Only some are open on Saturday
mornings.
Shops are generally open from 08h00 to 17h00,
Monday to Friday although some stay open until
19h00 and on Saturdays from 08 a.m to 13 a.m al-
though some stay open until 5 p.m. Most business-
es are closed on Sundays.
MONEY
Currency
Zambia´s unit of currency is the Kwacha. The
Kwacha has denominations of 50, 100, 500, 1000,
5000, 10 000, 20 000 and 50 000 kwacha notes.
Nobody uses ngwee coins any more as they have
become relatively worthless.
The currency has become quite stable over the
years and fluctuates around K5,000 to US$
1. The Kwacha has had a tendency to appreciate
in 2010 and as of November 2010 was trading at
K4, 730 to US$ 1.
There is no limit to the importation of foreign cur-
rency, provided it is declared on arrival through a
currency declaration form. Zambia is also one of
the rare countries with no exchange control.
It’s best to come into the country with travellers
cheques, US Dollars, Euros or British Pounds,
which can be exchanged at any of the many Bu-
reaux de Change in the main towns. If an indi-
vidual, not an agency, at the border offers you
to exchange money, exercise extreme caution,
as people have been known to seriously cheat
visitors who are unaware of accurate currency
exchange rates. Travellers cheques also incur an
additional commission when converted into other
currencies.
The inflation rate declined to 7.1 percent in Novem-
ber 2010 from the 11.5 percent of November 2009.
This favourable performance was mainly due to a
slowdown in food inflation following improved supply
of most food items, particularly cereals and vegeta-
bles.
Banks
Zambia is home to a number of international and
local banks providing ATM and financial services to
most of the country. ATM machines can be found in
all the major towns around the country (See Busi-
ness Resources section).
Bureaux de Change
Lusaka is home to many bureaux de change, mostly
located on Cairo Road and within shopping malls like
Arcades, and Manda Hill. US Dollars, Euros, Rand,
Pound Sterling and most regional currencies can be
exchanged for better rates than at the banks.
(See Business Resources section).