Zambia Academy of Sciences

On behalf of the Governing Council and indeed on my behalf, I welcome you to the Zambia Academy of Sciences (ZaAS), a national academy with the objectives of promoting technological discovery and innovation and investigating matters of public interest relating to science and technology. The Academy was founded on 29th March 2005, with the late Dr. Mwananyanda Mbikusita-Lewanika as its first President. The organization was registered with the Registrar of Societies on 13 July 2005. On 16 September 2005, ZaAS was officially launched, and the occasion was graced by the then Minister of Science Technology and Vocational Training, Mrs Judith Kapijimpanga.
In 2006, ZaAS became the 13th Member of the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC). In the subsequent years, ZaAS has also become a member of the International Science Council (ISC) and the Inter-Academy Partnership (IAP) and has contributed to these bodies by participating in various activities, as well as ZaAS scientists sitting on committees with specific assignments. Government, through the Ministry of Higher Education, provided financial resources to ZaAS for the first time in 2028 for the purposes of legislation of the Academy. In 2020, ZaAS became legislated under an Act of Parliament (Act No. 18 of 2020), and has continued receiving funding from government through the Ministry of Technology and Science. ZaAS, therefore, collaborates with government in a very significant way. ZaAS also collaborates with other organizations – locally and internally, and has received both financial and non-financial support for its activities from the following institutions: Bank of Zambia, University of Zambia, ZANACO, Shoprite Zambia, Zulu Burrow Development Consultants Ltd., National Institute for Industrial & Scientific Research, Harmony Rainbow Institute, African Academy of Sciences, Network of African Science Academies, Academy of Science of South Africa, The Royal Society (UK), Inter-Academy Partnership, Germany Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and International Council for Science (ICSU).

With a membership of 47 Fellows and Ordinary Members coming from a wide range of fields, including Life Sciences, Medicine and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, and Social Sciences, ZaAS plays a major role in national and international spheres. It has several functions, including providing independent and evidence-informed advice on science and technology to government and the general public; promoting the use of science and technology in achieving sustainable development; providing support for programmes aimed at improving curricula and the teaching of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at all levels of the education system; undertaking the publication and dissemination of scientific and technological achievements in collaboration with other organisations that promote science, technology, and innovation; promoting the recognition of the intellectual property rights of scientific discoveries and innovation in accordance with relevant written laws; promoting interdisciplinary research on national matters relating to science, technology, and innovation; promoting the utilization of research findings for decision making and policy formulation; and promoting and advocating for strengthening and capacity building of the existing research institutions through increased domestic resource allocation.
The Zambia Academy of Sciences is a pride of the nation and with time, it will play a much bigger role in shaping society’s thinking and the socio-economic landscape. Undoubtedly, the use of science and technology in our socio-economic development is not a choice but a necessity. The Zambia Academy of Sciences is there to make this a reality.