Former ZCF Boss Dies, Leaving Behind a Trail of Unanswered Questions

MakanDay Investigates

James Chirwa, the former Director General of the Zambia Cooperative Federation (ZCF), has died. He was a long-serving figure in Zambia’s cooperative movement, widely known for promoting agricultural cooperatives and rural development. But his legacy is far from straightforward.

While Chirwa was instrumental in shaping the cooperative sector, his leadership at ZCF was marred by controversy—especially around governance, accountability, and the management of public resources.

Under his watch, ZCF spearheaded several high-profile projects, most notably the solar-powered milling plant initiative, launched in 2015 and financed through a US$200 million loan from China.

The project was touted as a rural industrialisation strategy and used to boost the image of then-President Edgar Lungu who died recently in a South African hospital. But MakanDay investigations revealed that many of the plants were either abandoned, non-functional, or looted, with 30% reportedly stripped of their solar panels in Eastern Province.

Another major project involved a K15 million loan from the Ministry of Finance in 2014, intended to fund the construction of two milling plants in Namwala and Luwingu and to purchase trucks and pickup vehicles for cooperative use across the country. While the funds were disbursed, not all the planned projects were executed as promised.

Chirwa’s death prompts a fresh look at the unresolved issues surrounding his tenure—and raises lingering questions about how public money meant to uplift rural communities was used, or misused.

Read more from MakanDay’s investigations:

• ZCF: Cooperative for the Rich: https://makanday.org/zcf-cooperative-for-the-rich/
• The mills that grind away the money – how poverty reduction enriches the ruling party: https://makanday.org/the-mills-that-grind-away-the-money-how-poverty-reduction-enriches-the-ruling-party/
• The Mills Are Grinding to a Halt: https://makanday.org/the-mills-are-grinding-to-a-halt/
• Chinese Firm Gains Control of ZCF Trade Centre, Sparking Outcry: https://makanday.org/chinese-firm-gains-control-of-zcf-trade-centre-sparking-outcry/
• Allegations of Impropriety at ZCF Deepen: https://makanday.org/allegations-of-impropriety-at-zcf-deepen/