Veterinary services are moving to Local Authorities, and the Ministry has published the standards you can expect from it. VAZ urges every veterinary professional to read both documents now.
Lusaka, 11 November 2026
The Veterinary Association of Zambia (VAZ) was represented by the President, Dr Eugene Chisela Bwalya, and the Treasurer, Dr Edwin Sianzinda, at the launch of the Sector Devolution Plan (SDP) and the Ministerial Service Charter of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MFL), held on Tuesday 10 November 2026 at the New Government Complex in Lusaka.
The launch was officiated by the Minister of Fisheries and Livestock, Hon. Olive Clara Chiboola, MP. The Permanent Secretary, Dr Max M. Choombe, was represented by Mr Frederick Mwila, Director of Human Resource and Administration. Senior Government officials, cooperating partners, Local Authorities and other stakeholders received copies of the two documents.
Under the Government's decentralisation agenda, the Ministry has devolved four functions to Local Authorities: Veterinary Services, Fisheries, Livestock Development, and Fisheries and Livestock Marketing. The SDP is the roadmap for that transfer. The Service Charter sets out what citizens and stakeholders should expect from the Ministry, and how to give feedback when services fall short.
“Devolution puts veterinary services where the animals, the farmers and the risks are. Its success will depend on professionals who know these documents well, apply them in every district and speak up when something is not working.”Dr Eugene Chisela Bwalya, President, Veterinary Association of Zambia
Document 1: The Sector Devolution Plan
The overall objective of the SDP is to facilitate the devolution of fisheries, livestock, veterinary and marketing functions from the Ministry to Local Authorities, through a timely and systematic transfer. Its specific objectives are to:
- define the functions to be devolved to Local Authorities and those that remain with the Ministry;
- recommend an organisational structure within each Local Authority's management framework;
- identify the financial resources to be devolved, and new ways for councils to raise their own revenue;
- identify the Ministry assets used to deliver the devolved functions;
- identify the staff to be transferred and those to be retained by the Ministry;
- re-align policies, legislation, circulars, regulations and procedures with the Constitution; and
- set out an implementation plan for the transfer.
Four Priority Action Areas
Organisational structure • Human resources • Finance and assets • Policy and legal
What changes for veterinary services
Devolved to Local Authorities
- Extension and advisory
- Farmer education on disease prevention, welfare, hygiene, vaccination and reporting.
- Surveillance and response
- Passive and active surveillance, disease investigation, sampling and field containment.
- Meat and fish safety
- Inspection of slaughter facilities, ante and post-mortem practice, product quality checks.
- Enforcement and movement
- Animal Health Act 2010 and Animal Identification and Traceability Act 2024; stock movement permits within and between districts; brands and traceability.
Retained by the Ministry
- Policy and legislation
- National policy and laws for the fisheries and livestock sub-sectors.
- Diseases of national economic importance
- Surveillance, prevention and response stay national, carried out together with Local Authorities.
- Research and diagnostics
- CVRI and Provincial Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories, working with devolved staff.
- Oversight and partnerships
- Monitoring and evaluation, transboundary and international collaboration.
Key recommendations include a fully-fledged Department of Veterinary, Fisheries and Livestock in every town, municipal and city council; functions moving with matching human and financial resources; a staff audit before transfer; capacity building and change management; harmonised conditions of service between councils and central Government; a dedicated Treasury budget line for devolved functions; and a review of laws that do not facilitate devolution.
Document 2: The Ministerial Service Charter
The Ministerial Service Charter is the Ministry's public promise on service delivery. As described by the Permanent Secretary, its objectives are to:
- set out the Ministry's service delivery standards;
- commit the Ministry to efficient, transparent, responsive and accountable services to the public and stakeholders;
- establish clear mechanisms for feedback, complaints and stakeholder engagement;
- strengthen accountability and continuously improve service delivery across the sub-sector; and
- support the Government's public service reform agenda.
What you should expect from the Ministry (as displayed at the launch)
- Quality fisheries and livestock development services
- Timely and effective extension services
- Efficient animal health services
- Animal identification and traceability
- Nutrition mainstreaming in fisheries and livestock
“We are committed to continuous improvement in service delivery.”
The full Charter has not yet been posted on the Ministry website. VAZ will share it with members as soon as it is available; in the meantime, ask your Provincial or District Fisheries and Livestock office for a copy. The SDP also requires each Local Authority to develop its own service delivery charter.
How the documents align with the VAZ Strategic Plan 2026-2030
Both documents point in the same direction as the VAZ Strategic Plan 2026-2030, whose vision is to be a leading organisation in promoting animal health and welfare in Zambia through the advancement of the knowledge and skills of veterinary and veterinary para-professionals.
| What MFL launched | VAZ Strategic Plan 2026-2030 | Where we meet |
|---|---|---|
| Devolved extension and community-based surveillance (SDP) | Priority 4: Veterinary Networks and Professional Development | The VAZ Veterinary Expertise Network map and stronger CAHWs help councils find and deploy the right skills in every district. |
| Meat and fish safety, slaughter inspection (SDP) | Priority 8: Animal Welfare and Public Health | Inspection and certification of slaughterhouses, farms and transport, biosecurity and AMR stewardship. |
| Enforcement of the Animal Health and AIT Acts; legal review (SDP) | Priority 2: Legal and Regulatory Frameworks | VAZ is pressing for regulations under Act No. 45 of 2010 and will input into the laws devolution requires. |
| Capacity building and change management for transferred staff (SDP) | Priority 5: Continuing Education and Specialisation | CPD on devolved roles, standards and new council structures. |
| Service standards, feedback and accountability (Charter) | Priority 3: Ethics and Regulations; Priority 1: Governance and Leadership | Professional conduct and the Code of Ethics underpin every service promise; VAZ partners with MFL as a stakeholder. |
| Monitoring, reporting and traceability (SDP and Charter) | Priority 6: Technology and Innovation; Priority 10: M&E | Digital surveillance, real-time outbreak and livestock movement reporting, and measurable results. |
| Harmonised conditions of service (SDP) | Priority 4, Objective 2: welfare of members | VAZ continues to advocate for fair conditions for veterinarians moving to Local Authorities. |
A call to every veterinary professional
Whether you work for Government, a council, a private practice, industry, academia or a farm, these documents change how veterinary services are planned, funded and delivered in your district. VAZ encourages every member to take five steps this month:
- Read the Sector Devolution Plan. Start with Chapter 2 (functions devolved and retained) and the recommendations in Chapter 3.
- Get the Service Charter. Know the standards the Ministry has committed to, and the channels for feedback and complaints.
- Know your role. Public officers: understand your reporting lines, transfer and quality assurance arrangements. Private practitioners: know who now issues permits, inspects premises and leads disease response in your district.
- Engage your Local Authority. Introduce yourself to the council's Veterinary, Fisheries and Livestock team and offer your expertise.
- Tell VAZ what you see. Send questions, gaps and good practice to the Secretariat, so the Association can raise them with the Ministry and Local Authorities.
VAZ congratulates the Ministry on the launch and stands ready to support the Ministry and Local Authorities: through CPD on devolved functions, professional and ethical standards, the Veterinary Expertise Network, and by bringing members' field experience to the implementation of both documents.
Read them. Apply them. Help devolution work for animals, farmers and public health.
VAZ Secretariat
Veterinary Association of Zambia
Kwacha House, Room 13, Cairo Road, Lusaka • secretary@vaz.org.zm • vaztreasurer@gmail.com
Sources: MFL Sector Devolution Plan (2026); MFL invitation letter ref. MFL/54/34/1 of 27 October 2026; Ministerial Service Charter commitments as displayed at the launch; VAZ Strategic Plan 2026-2030. Photo: officials and stakeholders at the launch, New Government Complex, Lusaka, 10 November 2026.