LUSAKA – Chipokota Mwanawasa has left her role as Policy Advisor to President Hakainde Hichilema to take up a senior position in the private sector, State House has announced.
In a press release dated Friday, October 16, 2026, State House said Mwanawasa had previously served as Deputy Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit, where she supported the implementation of Zambia’s Eighth National Development Plan.
The announcement confirms her departure from the Presidency, while her own statement indicates that she is joining a multinational company operating in global commodities trading, including mining and metals, energy and logistics.
Neither statement names the company or specifies her new job title.
From State House to the private sector
Mwanawasa served as Policy Advisor to the President and previously held the position of Deputy Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit.
Her work in the latter role involved supporting implementation of the Eighth National Development Plan, the national framework guiding Zambia’s development priorities.
State House said Mwanawasa had expressed appreciation to Hichilema and the Government for the trust placed in her and the opportunity to serve.
The President, according to the statement issued by Chief Communications Specialist Clayson Hamasaka, thanked her for her contribution during her period of service and wished her well in her new responsibilities.
Why her next move matters
Mwanawasa’s move takes her from the Presidency into the private sector, with her own announcement pointing to a multinational involved in global commodities trading.
The sectors she identified—mining and metals, energy and logistics—are important to Zambia’s economic ambitions, particularly efforts to expand mineral production, attract investment, improve energy security and strengthen supply chains.
Commodities trading connects producers with international markets and can involve financing, marketing, transport and the management of commercial risks. The exact nature of Mwanawasa’s new responsibilities, however, remains unknown.
In her statement, she described the transition as deliberate and positive, saying she intended to continue contributing to Zambia’s development through the private sector.
She also indicated that she would share more information about her new role in due course.
What happens to her responsibilities at State House?
Her departure raises questions about how her former responsibilities will be handled, particularly within the President’s policy advisory team and the Presidential Delivery Unit.
The State House announcement does not identify a successor or explain whether her duties will be redistributed among existing officials.
Her departure does not, by itself, establish that government programmes will change direction. The effect will depend on the arrangements made to maintain continuity in policy advice and the monitoring of development priorities.
The details still to come
The official announcement confirms that Mwanawasa has left State House for a senior role in the private sector. Her own statement provides further information about the broad industries in which the new employer operates.
However, the identity of the multinational, the exact position she will occupy and the effective date of her transition have not been disclosed in the statements available.
Zambian Eye will follow the development as further details emerge about her new role and any arrangements for the responsibilities she has left behind.
For now, the key development is a transition from presidential policy advice and national development programme implementation to a senior position in the private sector.