This article covers cultural cooperation, education and training links, parliamentary and other institutional exchanges, and the cultural events organised with the Indian community in Zambia.

Indian studies at the University of Zambia

According to the MEA brief of August 2026, an MoU on the establishment of a Chair of Indian Studies at the University of Zambia was signed on 3rd April 2023. An India Corner was inaugurated at the main University of Zambia Library on 04th June 2026.

Art & Culture was among the areas covered by the MoUs signed during President Lungu's State visit to India in August 2019.

Scholarships and training

The brief states that, as part of its development cooperation, India has provided Zambia with fully paid scholarships for various higher education courses, ITEC training slots and specialised capacity building programmes under the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS). At the 6th Session of the Joint Permanent Commission in November 2024, education, culture, and training scholarship and capacity building were among the areas discussed.

The Pan-Africa E-network Project, described in the development partnership article, included a Learning Centre for tele-education at the Mulungushi University in Kabwe.

An MoU between the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA), Zambia, was signed on July 21, 2025.

ICCR-sponsored performances

The brief records several Indian cultural troupes sponsored by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) that have performed in Zambia:

  • a 07 member Carnatic Cultural Troupe, which performed during the "India Week" celebrations in August 2023
  • a Kathakali Troupe, which performed in Ndola and Lusaka on 1st and 2nd February 2026
  • a Kalbelia dance troupe, which performed in Kitwe and Lusaka on 28th and 29th June 2026

Festivals with the Indian community

The Lusaka Indian Ladies Association has organised several cultural festivals in collaboration with the High Commission of India. A 07 member Gujarati folk dance group, "Nrtiyavali", visited Zambia in June 2024 and performed during "UTSAV 2024". The Association and the High Commission organised "Mahotsav 2025" in August 2025. The brief also records a festival held on 27th June 2026, which it names "Mahotsav 2025".

The first ever Bihar Diwas in Zambia was celebrated on 22 March 2026, highlighting the heritage, traditions and legacy of Bihar.

Zambian troupes in India

Zambian cultural troupes have taken part in the Surajkund Mela in India in recent years:

  • a 15 member troupe in February 2024
  • an 18-member troupe at the Surajkund Mela 2025
  • a 14-member troupe at the Surajkund Mela 2026

Parliamentary and electoral exchanges

Dr. Patrick Matibini, Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia, paid an official visit to India in December 2018. Ms. Nelly Butete Mutti, Speaker of the National Assembly, led a nine-member delegation to India for an orientation visit to the Lok Sabha in February 2023. Mr Roy Ngulube, Clerk of the National Assembly, made an orientation visit to the Lok Sabha in April 2024.

Ms. Nelly Butete Kashumba Mutti visited New Delhi again from January 14-16, 2026, to attend the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC). Mrs. Mwangala Zaloumis, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia, attended the India International Conference on Democracy and Election Management (IICDEM)-2026, held from January 21st to 23rd, 2026. Election matters were among the areas of the MoUs signed in 2019.

The Indian community

Its references to the community are to the Lusaka Indian Ladies Association and the festivals it has organised with the High Commission of India. Readers looking for information on the community should contact the High Commission of India in Lusaka, whose website is given in the practical article of this guide.