Flagship project
A Modern Training Campus for Zambia's Local Government Professionals
The Chalimbana campus modernisation created a stronger learning environment for the people responsible for local governance and public-service delivery across Zambia.
A better-equipped institute can train larger numbers of local-government professionals in surroundings suited to sustained learning and collaboration. Councils across Zambia stand to benefit as staff return with stronger knowledge and professional networks. Sound maintenance and financial procedures also help the campus remain a reliable national resource rather than a short-lived construction achievement.
The challenge
Local councils need skilled staff to plan services, manage resources and engage citizens, yet the national training institute required modern facilities and stronger operational systems. Buildings, accommodation, utilities and campus management all had to improve together if training capacity was to grow sustainably.
Our goal
The project sought to strengthen local-government performance by upgrading the institution that develops council professionals. A renewed campus would enable more effective teaching, residential training and professional exchange, while better financial and maintenance practices would protect the investment over the long term.
Our approach
The campus was rehabilitated, expanded and partly equipped through an integrated programme covering teaching rooms, seminar spaces, dormitories, staff housing, apartments and site infrastructure. Roads, water, electricity, irrigation and landscaped zones were planned alongside buildings. Tendering, works supervision, furnishing, financial procedures, maintenance planning and impact monitoring supported the physical investment.
Key highlights
- Learning and residential facilities were treated as one campus system.
- New and improved spaces included classrooms, seminars, accommodation and staff housing, supported by internal roads and essential utilities.
- A garden-like arrangement created distinct campus zones, while equipment and maintenance strategies addressed how the facilities would function after completion.
Success story
Local governance is experienced in everyday services, but the capability behind those services is built over time. Chalimbana offers a place where council staff can step away from immediate pressures, learn together and take practical knowledge back to their districts. The project reshaped that experience by combining classrooms and seminar rooms with accommodation, staff facilities and the infrastructure required for a functioning residential campus. It also looked beyond construction to maintenance and financial procedures. That wider view matters: when the institute can care for its assets and organise training effectively, each cohort gains a stable learning environment. The campus can therefore multiply its value through the many local authorities whose staff pass through it.