From rust to revival

...Inside Zambia Railways’ $20 million journey to rebuild its future DOREEN NAWA, Kabwe THE rhythmic sounds of grinding metal, welding sparks illuminating workshop corners and engineers huddled around locomotive components are becoming symbols of a quiet transformation underway in Kabwe. For years, Zambia’s railway sector has grappled with ageing rolling stock, reduced locomotive availability and increasing dependence on hired equipment to meet growing freight demands. The challenges have weighed heavily on Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL), limiting operational efficiency at a time when regional trade and industrial activity continue to expand. Yet amid those struggles, conversations around repositioning rail as a driver of economic growth had begun gaining momentum. In 2025, during the Land- Linked Zambia Conference, stakeholders emphasised the need for Zambia to leverage its strategic geographic position to transition from being merely landlocked to becoming a land-linked regional logistics hub. Central to that vision was a functioning and efficient railway system capable of supporting industrialisation, reducing transport costs and facilitating regional trade. And ZRL managing director Cuthbert Malindi took it personal and engaged with possible partners.

He imagined a full functional rail system that will soon be a centre of excellence for not only the Southern African Development Community (SADC) but Africa as a whole. Just over a year later, that ambition is increasingly taking shape on the workshop floor at Zambia Railways Main Workshops in Kabwe. The US$20 million strategic partnership signed in February 2026 between Zambia Railways Limited and Worldwide Rail and Mining Solutions (WWRMS) for the rehabilitation and modernisation of six GT 3600HP mainline locomotives is no longer confined to boardroom discussions and signed agreements. It is visible. Three months after commencement of works, the workshops in Kabwe have become a hive of activity. During a media tour of the ongoing rehabilitation programme, teams of engineers and technicians worked methodically to dismantle worn-out components, assess structural integrity and rebuild locomotive systems designed to restore performance and extend operational lifespan. The atmosphere reflects urgency, but also optimism. A total of 45 personnel are directly involved in the rehabilitation programme, comprising 35 Zambia Railways employees working alongside 10 specialists from Worldwide Rail and Mining Solutions. The interaction between local and international teams underscores one of the project’s most important objectives – its technical skills transfer. For Worldwide Rail Technical lead Shadrack Qotso, the rehabilitation programme is about creating sustainable engineering capacity alongside restoring locomotives. “We are committed to ensuring that these locomotives are restored to high operational standards through quality workmanship and rigorous technical processes. Equally important is ensuring that the knowledge remains with Zambia Railways through practical training and collaboration with local engineers,” Mr Qotso said during the workshop tour. He explained that the project is designed to deliver long-term operational reliability while strengthening local technical expertise. “Our approach is not simply to complete the rehabilitation works and leave. We want Zambia Railways engineers to gain practical exposure throughout the process so that the institution strengthens its internal maintenance capabilities,” he said. The emphasis on local capacity development resonates strongly with Zambia Railways officials overseeing the project. For ZRL project lead Kavimbi Chipusu, a senior engineer, the progress recorded within three months has brought renewed confidence. Walking through sections of the workshop where locomotives are undergoing refurbishment, Mr Chipusu reflected on the significance of the programme. “This project gives us hope because we are seeing practical skills development and measurable progress on the rehabilitation works. The involvement of ZRL engineers throughout the process means the expertise gained will strengthen our capacity to maintain and manage these locomotives going forward,” he said. He noted that beyond increasing locomotive availability, the rehabilitation programme is rebuilding technical confidence within the institution. “There is optimism among staff because this initiative demonstrates investment in our people, infrastructure and future operations. The knowledge transfer taking place will benefit Zambia Railways long after the rehabilitation project is completed,” Mr Chipusu added. The six GT 3600HP locomotives undergoing rehabilitation form part of broader efforts by Zambia Railways to address persistent locomotive shortages that have affected freight operations in recent years. Limited availability of locomotives has forced the company to depend significantly on hired equipment, increasing operational costs and exposing services to disruptions amid rising demand for freight movement. The ongoing rehabilitation programme aims to reverse that trend. Implemented through a vendor- financed deferred payment structure, the arrangement allows rehabilitation works to proceed without requiring substantial upfront capital expenditure from Zambia Railways. Repayment toward the US$20 million investment will instead be made over time using revenues generated from operations by the refurbished locomotives. The phased programme will see the first two locomotives deployed between May and June 2026, followed by another two in August and the final pair before the end of the year. For the ZRL managing director, the initiative represents more than equipment restoration. “This partnership represents a major step in rebuilding Zambia Railways’ operational capacity. By rehabilitating our own locomotives, we are not only restoring critical national assets but also improving reliability, increasing freight volumes and reducing reliance on hired locomotives,” Mr Malindi said. He believes the completed rehabilitation programme will significantly increase haulage capacity and improve service delivery to sectors including mining, agriculture, manufacturing and energy. The broader implications extend far beyond Zambia Railways itself. Historically, railway systems have played a defining role in industrial development worldwide. Efficient freight movement lowers production costs, improves supply chain reliability and facilitates large- scale movement of raw materials and finished products. Rail remains particularly important for bulky commodities. A single freight train has the potential to transport cargo equivalent to approximately 50 trucks. For economies reliant on mining and agriculture, this creates substantial cost savings while reducing pressure on road infrastructure. In Zambia, commodities such as copper, fertiliser, fuel, cement and agricultural produce depend heavily on efficient transport systems. Strengthening railway capacity could therefore contribute significantly towards improving competitiveness across multiple industries. Reduced dependence on road transport also offers environmental and economic benefits through lower fuel consumption, reduced emissions and decreased road maintenance costs. As Africa advances implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), efficient transport systems are becoming increasingly critical. The AfCFTA seeks to create a single African market and boost intra-African trade by reducing barriers between countries. However, expanded trade opportunities require strong supporting infrastructure. Countries with efficient rail networks are likely to gain competitive advantages in regional logistics and manufacturing. For Zambia, centrally positioned within southern Africa and bordering eight countries, revitalised rail infrastructure presents an opportunity to strengthen trade corridors and improve connectivity to regional ports and markets. The vision of Zambia becoming a land-linked logistics hub depends heavily on transport efficiency. That is why the rehabilitation works taking place in Kabwe carry significance beyond the workshop floor. At the signing of the agreement in February, Worldwide Rail and Mining Solutions managing director Jason Visagie said restoring the locomotives means supporting broader economic ambitions. “The rehabilitation process will involve a comprehensive rebuild and upgrade of the locomotives to ensure they meet modern operational requirements. Our goal is to deliver high-quality engineering solutions that will extend the service life of these locomotives while enhancing their operational efficiency,” he said. He added that collaboration with Zambia Railways engineers remains central to ensuring sustainable outcomes. Inside the Kabwe workshops, the signs of transformation are increasingly difficult to ignore. Where ageing locomotives once symbolised operational decline, they now represent renewal.

Teams move between workstations with purpose. Components are rebuilt. Skills are exchanged. Institutional confidence is slowly being restored. The transformation underway is not merely mechanical. It is organisational. It is economic. And perhaps most importantly, it is symbolic of what strategic investment, partnerships and long-term vision can achieve. What began as discussions during Land-Linked Zambia 2025 is increasingly becoming visible progress. For Zambia Railways, the journey from operational challenges towards renewal is no longer an aspiration waiting on the horizon. It is unfolding in real time inside the busy workshops of Kabwe. It’s one rebuilt locomotive, one trained engineer, and one restored opportunity at a time. The whistle signalling departure may soon carry a deeper meaning. Not simply the movement of trains. But the movement of a railway company — and perhaps a nation’s logistics ambitions — from rust to revival.

Combating fall armyworms

Scientists make major breakthrough with local fungus strain DOREEN NAWA Lusaka

A TINY fungus grown in a Zambian laboratory could become one of the country’s most promising weapons against a pest that has spent nearly a decade ravaging maize fields. Scientists working for a not-for-profit intergovernmental organisation, CABI, have successfully harvested, for the first time, spores of a local strain of a naturally occurring fungus that infects and kills a fall armyworm called Metarhizium rileyi. The breakthrough, which follows three years of dedicated research and development, means the fungus has now been produced entirely in Zambia, ending years of reliance on spores produced at CABI’s laboratory in Egham, United Kingdom. For a country where maize is central to food security, the development could prove significant. The fall armyworm has become one of Zambia’s most damaging invasive agricultural pests, affecting at least 98 percent of smallholder farmers every cropping season and causing estimated annual losses of about US$159 million. The story of Zambia’s battle with fall armyworms – scientifically known as Spodoptera frugiperda and native to the Americas – began in 2016. The outbreak was first reported in December 2016, initially in Copperbelt Province, before infestations were reported in Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka and Central provinces. By January 2017, the pest had already affected more than 129,000 hectares of maize, turning what had started as scattered reports into a national agricultural emergency. Maize was not the only target as the fall armyworm is a highly polyphagous pest capable of feeding on a wide range of crops and grasses, including sorghum, millet, rice, wheat, barley, sugar cane and other plants. For Zambia, however, its attack on maize has been particularly damaging because maize is both a major staple food and an important source of income for smallholder farmers. Although the fall armyworm was new to Zambia in 2016, armyworms themselves were not – African farmers have battled armyworm outbreaks for decades. During severe outbreaks, vast numbers of caterpillars can appear almost simultaneously and move across fields in search of food, stripping vegetation as they go. But unlike some pests that attack only a narrow range of crops, fall armyworms can feed on more than 80 plant species. “This pest is deadly,” says Milaka Chasunkwa of Gota Gota Village in Chirundu. “I have been experiencing it for a decade now and treating it using pesticide is unattainable for me because of the high cost of medicines ideal for the management. “I tried the previous season to use pesticides thinking I have eradicated it forever, but surprisingly the next season it was back damaging more maize in my field. The maize is attacked from the leaves to the cobs, making it unredeemable.” The fall armyworm ability to spread rapidly, reproduce quickly and attack economically important crops make it particularly difficult to contain. Searching nature for an answer was the only way. The breakthrough began in 2018. Scientists from the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI), the University of Zambia (UNZA) and CABI discovered Metarhizium rileyi occurring naturally in areas where fall armyworms were devastating maize. The fungus was already attacking the pest. That discovery changed the direction of the research. Instead of searching for a biological control agent somewhere else in the world, scientists could investigate an organism already found under Zambian conditions and naturally capable of killing fall armyworms. The discovery led to further research under the Village-based Biocontrol of Fall Armyworm in Zambia project, funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), alongside CABI’s PlantwisePlus programme. Researchers began testing the fungus across Zambia’s three agroecological zones. They investigated both liquid and dry formulations, examining their effectiveness and determining the most appropriate timing and frequency of application. The goal was to develop a biological control option that could eventually form part of an integrated approach to fall armyworm management. For four years, however, the spores used in the research were produced at CABI’s laboratory in Egham, UK. They then had to be shipped to Zambia. That has now changed. For the first time, CABI’s laboratory in Zambia has successfully grown the local strain of M. rileyi on rice and harvested its spores entirely in-country. ZARI is already testing production using different varieties of rice, as well as sorghum, wheat and barley. Scientists want to identify which cereal provides the best conditions for producing the fungus efficiently and consistently. This work is crucial because discovering a fungus that kills fall armyworms is only the first step. The real challenge is producing enough of it, in the right formulation and at a cost that could make it practical for smallholder farmers. Scientists believe this local strain is well adapted to Zambian environmental conditions, giving it strong potential for use in augmentative biological control. Biological control could also help address some of the challenges associated with heavy reliance on conventional pesticides. CABI says nearly 43 percent of Zambian farmers use pesticides every season, while some farmers use highly hazardous products. Repeated or inappropriate pesticide use can create risks for farmers, consumers and the environment and can contribute to the development of pesticide resistance. The fungus offers a different approach — using a natural enemy to suppress a natural enemy. But researchers are cautious. CABI laboratory technician Sihle Nakombe has led the work on producing the spores. “Harvesting the first spores of M. rileyi is a great milestone for our research and skill development among young scientists,” Ms Nakombe says. “It is the result of three years of dedicated work to develop a biological control option for more sustainable fall armyworm management in Zambia, and we’re excited about where it can take us next.” Intern Sampa Kazembe, who also worked on the mass- production process, says the experience has provided practical laboratory skills and strengthened her understanding of biological control. “Working on the mass production of M. rileyi has been an inspiring chapter in my professional journey,” she says. “As an agronomy graduate, this experience has deepened my appreciation and passion for the role of biocontrol in building sustainable agricultural systems, while reinforcing my commitment to developing innovative, science- based solutions that protect both farmers and the environment.” Now the challenge is how to scale up and whether the laboratory success can eventually reach the farmer. CABI regional director for southern Africa Natasha Mwila says the successful production of spores from a locally sourced strain demonstrates the value of investing in local scientific capacity and developing biological solutions tailored to Zambia’s agricultural systems. “By harnessing naturally occurring organisms, we are advancing more sustainable approaches to managing fall armyworm while reducing reliance on conventional pesticides,” she says. PUBLISHED ON AUGUST 17, 2026 IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL