Zambia’s Minister of Labour and Social Security, Brenda Tambatamba, has announced pension reforms designed to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, and long-term sustainability of the country’s retirement system.

Addressing the National Symposium on Pension Reforms on Tuesday, Ms Tambatamba stated that the government is collaborating with public social security schemes to implement changes that will meet both the current and future needs of workers.

“These pressing issues impact the lives of citizens, which is why the government is working towards it,” she said.

According to media reports, Ms Tambatamba said the reforms will focus on ensuring timely benefit payments, harmonising pension schemes, and enhancing governance and transparency.

She also stated that the reforms aim to expand coverage to previously excluded workers and revise the legal framework to create a more inclusive, citizen-focused pension system, Lusaka Times reports.

Meanwhile, Zambia’s Trade Unions Secretary-General, Joy Beene, said that the unions are taking a firm position on the ongoing pension reforms, underscoring that the changes should not merely reduce pressure on the national treasury.

He added that the reforms must focus on restoring dignity, financial security, and hope for both current and future pensioners.

Beene also stressed that any pension reform must adhere to the principle of non-regression, guaranteeing that no worker is excluded as a result of the changes.

In addition, Zambia Federation of Employers President, Myra Ngoma, called on the government to ensure that the reforms clearly define its role in social security.

In June this year, the government advanced pension reforms through nationwide stakeholder consultations, including a national symposium, aimed at building consensus on changes to three public pension schemes.

The consultations led to the drafting of three reform bills; the National Pension Scheme Bill 2025, the Public Service Pensions Fund Bill 2025, and the Local Authorities Superannuation Fund Bill 2025, intended to enhance governance, sustainability, and service delivery within Zambia’s pension system.

Formal nationwide stakeholder consultations on Zambia’s pension reforms commenced following extensive engagements in June 2025, during which the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and other social security institutions conducted sessions across all 10 provinces to collect input for the draft pension reform bills.