Congratulations to five talented individuals from Zambia’s law enforcement agencies and prosecution service, who have successfully completed the train-the-trainer programme of our International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR).

Now certified as ICAR trainers, they will be able to deliver ICAR’s high-impact financial investigations and asset recovery training to peers across the country. This will greatly boost Zambia’s efforts to build capacity to investigate corruption and confiscate illicit assets, at home and abroad.

Newly certified trainer Lloyd Kabwela, speaking on behalf of the group of five, described “the opportunity to be identified as trainers by ICAR as a great honour and privilege”. Thanks to the mentoring and guidance of ICAR’s training team, he confirmed they were “ready to be used” to support Zambia’s efforts to target the illicit profits of corruption and other serious crime. The other new trainers are Darlington Mukelelabo, Sipholiano Phiri, Hastings Sichone and Sibongile Mwansa.

The successful train-the-trainer programme supports the sustainability of our ongoing work in Zambia, which is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), as well as the country’s self-reliance.

A proud moment for Zambia

During his opening remarks at the final workshop, Zambia’s Director of Public Prosecutions Gilbert Phiri, applauded ICAR for its sustainable approach to its work in Zambia. He stated:

“The culmination of this training programme is a proud moment for Zambia in our fight against international crime and corruption. By having certified trainers in financial investigations and asset recovery, we are poised to further build the local cadre of experts in this area.

As Chairperson of the Inter-Agency Framework on Collaboration and Cooperation, which has now expanded to the Copperbelt and North Western Province, I pledge to ensure that as many practitioners as possible are trained in anti-money laundering investigations and recovery of assets by the five experts who will be certified this week.

We will not relent in sharpening the skills of investigators and prosecutors whose role on a daily basis involves the investigation and prosecution of money laundering and corruption offences including the tracing and recovery of assets.”

He further thanked ICAR for its dedication, stating:

“We value the partnership we continue to enjoy with you. You are the real deal. We have seen the effects of your efforts and we thank you.”

In closing remarks, the Director General of Zambia’s Financial Intelligence Centre, Clement Kapula, commented that many participants had confirmed the training had delved into critical topics, explored best practices and engaged in thought-provoking discussions on topics such as indirect methods of proving a crime.

About the train-the-trainer programme

ICAR’s train-the-trainer programme is a comprehensive process of five workshops that is further described in our training brochure. In Zambia, the one-year TTT programme commenced in Lusaka in April 2024, where the five individuals were selected. Over the next workshops they gradually gained skills, knowledge and responsibilities, leading to them independently delivering the final workshop to their peers in March 2025 under the observation of our ICAR training team.

In addition to delivering the content, the certified trainers have been instructed on managing the logistics for a successful training using the ICAR’s “learning by doing” methodology, which combines in-person and tech-powered delivery methods. They will deliver the training using a customised online platform, Zambia LEARN, which was developed by our IT team and is based on our popular Basel LEARN virtual learning platform.

Over the course of the five workshops, 119 practitioners were trained alongside the certified trainers. Of these, 49 were women. The final workshop saw a similar mix of practitioners from magistrates, prosecutors, Zambia Anti-Corruption Commission and Drug Enforcement Commission investigators, police officers, and representatives from the Finance Intelligence Centre, Department of Immigration, Department of National Parks and Wildlife, and Forestry Department of the Ministry of Green Economy.

Special thanks

We express our gratitude to the Inter-Agency Coordination and Cooperation Framework for its collaboration in the TTT programme in Zambia. In particular, we extend special thanks to Gilbert Phiri, Director of Public Prosecutions, for his commitment to ensuring the success of the TTT programme.

We thank our partners at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for funding the TTT programme and for their continued support for ICAR’s assistance in building the capacity of committed individuals, agencies and countries to combat corruption and financial crime and to recover illicit assets for reinvestment in public services and development.