June 2026 · Dubai, UAE
The Sekute Economic Free Zone took centre stage during the boardroom session at ADG Legal, Burj Gate Tower, Dubai.
A day on from the Zambia Beckons engagement in Dubai, one image from the afternoon’s boardroom still lingers: a traditional leader on his feet, presenting his community’s future in his own voice. As the engagement moved from the morning’s session at Lido Café to the boardroom of ADG Legal at Burj Gate Tower, one project — and one champion — had stood at the very centre of the conversation: His Royal Highness Emmanuel Kalonga II Sekute IV of Kazungula, and his vision for the Sekute Economic Free Zone.
Before a focused room of UAE investors and advisers, His Royal Highness presented the Sekute Economic Free Zone in Kazungula, Southern Province in person — the headline opportunity of the day, and the project that drew the keenest interest from those at the table.
“To watch a traditional leader present, advocate, and sell his community’s future with such conviction is something to be admired.”
What set the Sekute Economic Free Zone apart was not only its scale, but its very nature. It is the first of its kind in Zambia — fundamentally different from the Multi-Facility Economic Zones (MFEZs) that currently operate across the country. Modelled on the free zone areas that have powered Dubai’s own economic transformation, the project represents a bold new chapter in how Zambia structures and offers opportunity to the world.
The Sekute Economic Free Zone — At a Glance
⚑ First of its kind in Zambia — a genuine free zone, distinct from the country’s existing Multi-Facility Economic Zones
⚑ Modelled on Dubai — drawing directly on the free zone framework that transformed the Emirate
⚑ Location: Kazungula, Southern Province — a strategic gateway in Southern Africa
⚑ Recently approved by Zambia’s Cabinet, clearing the way for development
⚑ Full backing of the Head of State, underscoring national priority
Crucially, the project came to the table with institutional weight behind it. The Sekute Economic Free Zone has recently been approved by Zambia’s Cabinet and carries the full backing of the Head of State — assurances that gave investors in the room the confidence that this is a venture ready to move.
His Royal Highness and the delegation in session with UAE investors and advisers.
Perhaps most striking was how personal the project proved to be to His Royal Highness. This was no distant royal patronage: he championed the Free Zone himself — making the presentations, answering the questions, and selling the vision for his community’s future in his own voice. In a setting more often occupied by technocrats and financiers, the presence of a traditional leader advocating so directly for his people’s prosperity left a lasting impression on all present.
His advocacy complemented the broader Zambian offer presented throughout the day — from the Public-Private Partnership Office to the Zambia Credit Guarantee Scheme — but it was the Sekute Economic Free Zone, carried by its royal champion, that emerged as the day’s defining opportunity.
Looking back a day on, the engagement captured the Consulate’s method in motion: leads pursued, doors opened, and partnerships in the making. From the morning’s presentations to the afternoon’s boardroom exchange, and with a flagship project of this calibre — carried by a champion of this conviction — Zambia’s message to UAE investors could not have been clearer. The Mission continues to drive these conversations forward, turning interest into intent, and intent into investment.
