Zambia records K4 billion trade surplus in…

Zambia has recorded a trade surplus of over 4 billion Kwacha in international merchandise trade last month, compared to a surplus of 1 billion kwacha recorded in December last year. Speaking during the dissemination of the monthly statistics bulletin, ZamStats Acting Statistician General, Sheila Mudenda, says that export earnings are attributed to an increase in traditional exports and decrease in non-traditional exports. “The volume of refined copper exports for the period January 2026 was 78.1 thousand Mt while that of 2025 for the same period was 74.1 thousand Mt representing a 7.3 percent increase,” she said.

Mudenda attributed this development to continuously changing prices in both food and non-food items. She also said that the annual inflation for this month was recorded at 7.5 percent from 9.4 percent recorded last month. She however noted that prices of non-food items remained unchanged during the same period, with inflation rate recorded at 0.0 percent, in comparison to -0.3 percent in January last year.

Meanwhile, Zamstats Acting Director-Economic Statistics, Joseph Tembo added that this development will provide some relief for consumers, as effects become more noticeable over time. Mr Tembo urged members of the public to understand that effects of inflation are not immediate, as they are dependent on the market response.