Governance and Accountability: An Analysis of Zambian State-Owned Enterprise Structures from 2010 to 2025

This paper presents a critical analysis of governance and accountability structures within Zambian state-owned enterprises (SOEs) from 2010 to 2025, a period of significant political transition and economic challenge. It investigates the persistent problem of weak corporate governance, which has led to chronic underperformance and fiscal burdens despite repeated reform efforts. Employing a rigorous qualitative case study methodology, the research synthesises data from documentary evidence—including national audit reports, policy frameworks, and parliamentary records—with insights from semi-structured interviews with former board members and senior executives. The analysis identifies systemic governance deficiencies, fundamentally rooted in politicised board appointments, a conflated ownership-regulatory model, and inconsistent application of the legal framework. A key finding is that these structures systematically marginalise the substantive participation of women in senior roles, thereby neglecting a vital resource for robust oversight and ethical leadership. The paper concludes that substantive reform requires depoliticised, merit-based appointments and the strengthening of truly independent monitoring mechanisms. This study contributes to broader African governance scholarship by demonstrating how entrenched political interests subvert SOE efficacy, providing evidence-based insights for policymakers aiming to transform state-owned entities into engines of sustainable development.