The Criminal Justice System in Zambia: Enhancing the Delivery of Security in Africa

Zambia's crime and criminal justice system is in a transitional phase.

The African Human Security Initiative (AHSI) is a consortium of organisations that has taken the initiative to emphasise human security in Africa. AHSI has used the opportunity created by the peer review concept to complement the forma African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) process of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) to undertake a focused review of the criminal justice system in selected countries identified: Zambia, Tanzania, Benin, Mali and Sierra Leone. This monograph covers the Zambia study.

Zambia is in transition towards the consolidation of its multiparty democracy that was reintroduced in 1991 after two decades of ruinous one-party rule. The country's crime and criminal justice system is also in a transitional phase. Zambia has made great progress since the re-establishment of a multiparty democracy - particularly since the late President Levy Mwanawasa took over in 2002 - but there are still serious gaps. Zambia still needs to implement some major reforms to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.