HEA Charts the Way Forward: Reviewing the Rapporteurs’ Report of the Inaugural Higher Education Indaba
The Higher Education Authority (HEA) yesterday, Tuesday, 4th November, 2025, convened a post-Indaba workshop to review and refine the Rapporteurs’ Report of the Inaugural Higher Education Indaba 2025, held from 8th to 10th October, 2025, at the Avani Victoria Falls Resort in Livingstone under the theme “Unlocking Zambia’s Potential Through New Investments in Quality Higher Education.”
Bringing together Management and Staff at Waterfalls Hotel, the meeting marks a pivotal step in documenting the insights, discussions, and resolutions that emerged from the landmark Indaba, the first of its kind in Zambia’s higher education landscape. The session aimed to ensure that the final Indaba Report and Communiqué captured the spirit and strategic direction of the event, aligning with national and continental aspirations for higher education reform.
Addressing the meeting, HEA Director-General, Professor Kazhila C. Chinsembu, commended the team for their commitment and excellence in delivering an event that has now become a defining milestone for Zambia’s higher education sector. He emphasised that the Indaba’s outcomes must go beyond proceedings and translate into actionable strategies that will transform the sector.
“The Indaba was not merely a conference, it was a movement, a moment when Zambia reimagined the role of higher education in shaping its national destiny,”
Professor Chinsembu said. “This report must reflect that vision and serve as a roadmap for sustained collaboration, investment, and innovation.”
The meeting also drew from the sentiments expressed during the Indaba. The Honourable Minister of Education, Honourable Mr. Douglas Munsaka Syakalima, MP., called for bold reforms and strategic partnerships to position Zambia as a regional hub for higher education. His message, delivered on behalf of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, underscored that investment in quality higher education is the cornerstone of sustainable national development.
Similarly, the Permanent Secretary for Higher Education, Ms. Noriana Muneku, hailed the event as a “historic convergence of ideas, commitment, and reform.” She stressed that the sector’s future rests on strong linkages between academia, industry, and policy.
Closing the Indaba, the Honourable Minister of Southern Province, Mr. Credo Nanjuwa, MP., urged stakeholders to move from dialogue to implementation and proposed that the Higher Education Indaba become a biennial event to institutionalise collaboration and progress in the sector.
As HEA now reviews the Rapporteurs’ Report, the focus shifts to producing a comprehensive document that will guide future policy direction, investment decisions, and institutional strategies. The final Indaba Report and Communiqué, expected to be released soon, will consolidate the collective vision of Zambia’s higher education stakeholders and map a clear path toward a more inclusive, innovative, and globally competitive higher education system.
The momentum continues, the Indaba may have concluded, but its spirit of transformation is only just beginning.
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