Licensing Goes Digital

Smart Zambia, BRRA Sign MoU to Digitise and Streamline Business Licensing, Reduce Bureaucracy and Improve Service Delivery

By Francis Maingaila ♥️ 

Lusaka, Zambia24  -- (16-06-2026) -- The Smart Zambia Institute and the Business Regulatory Review Agency (BRRA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to digitise and streamline Zambia’s business licensing system, in a move aimed at reducing bureaucracy, lowering compliance costs and improving service delivery.

The agreement marks a significant step towards integrating regulatory reforms with e-government systems under the One Government approach, with both institutions committing to simplify procedures and enhance efficiency in the issuance and management of business licences.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, Smart Zambia National Coordinator Percy Chinyama said the MoU formalises a collaboration that has existed between the two institutions for some time.

“This partnership may appear new to some, but in reality, the collaboration between Smart Zambia and BRRA has existed in the background. Today, we are simply formalising what has already been a working relationship,” Mr Chinyama said.

He noted that the business sector is central to government’s economic agenda and that digital transformation is critical to ensuring smooth service delivery. While licensing procedures are determined by law, he said inefficiencies in implementation have slowed growth in some sectors.

Mr Chinyama explained that Smart Zambia’s mandate is to promote electronic government services and ensure public services are accessible digitally within existing legal frameworks. 

Through the MoU, businesses will increasingly be able to make payments electronically, track applications online and avoid physically moving from one office to another to submit documents.

“The cost of doing business is not only monetary — convenience is also a cost,” he said, pointing out that multiple licences with different renewal dates often create compliance challenges that can disrupt operations.

Under the agreement, the two institutions will work towards integrating licensing systems, supporting digital inspections and enhancing transparency in regulatory processes.

BRRA Executive Director Sharon Shichilongo said the MoU is anchored in the Business Regulatory Act No. 3 of 2014, as amended by Act No. 14 of 2018, which mandates the agency to ensure an efficient, cost-effective and accessible business licensing system.

She said BRRA has been implementing reforms aimed at identifying duplication within regulatory frameworks, harmonising laws and streamlining cumbersome procedures that increase the cost of doing business.

“The private sector thrives in an environment that is predictable, accessible and efficient. This collaboration with Smart Zambia will enable us to minimise regulatory processes, reduce compliance costs and enhance inter-agency collaboration,” Ms Shichilongo said.

She acknowledged that duplication of licensing processes still exists across institutions and said integrating e-government systems is necessary to eliminate inefficiencies.

Ms Shichilongo assured stakeholders that beyond signing the MoU, both institutions are committed to its full implementation, describing the agreement as a timely intervention to modernise Zambia’s business environment while maintaining regulatory stability.