Data Analysis and Forecasts

Our curated data portal gives you historical and forecasted information. Take a look at sample graphs relating to different economic and financial data. These will help you understand the business environment.

How to prepare a business plan

In this infographic , fourthir summarizes a step by step process by which you can prepare a business plan. A business plan is a powerful tool that helps you chat the course your business must take. At any point in time, ask yourself these questions: What is the product/service that our business provides. Who are our clients and what categories are they in? Who are our competitors? What strategies do we have to capture as much of the customers as possible? How many customers are we targeting to capture? What is our financial position or how much is our business worth? How much is the business going to be worth by this time next year? What will be the profit for next year? If you do not have a document that helps you answer these questions, you need a business plan. Here is a concise step by step guide for preparing a business plan. Most of the steps require extensive research. FourthIR exists to provide you that research. Do not hesitate to contact us on +260-767-759-809 via call or whatsapp.

How to register a business in Zambia

How to start a business and how to register a business in Zambia is one of the most important consideration for anyone who wants to do business in Zambia. FourthIR provides a list of the regulatory business environment to help with the process. To register a company, you need to use the registrar of companies. You also need to register for taxes with the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA). There may also be industry specific licenses depending on the industry your business is in. Compulsory employee social security contributions are done with the National Pensions Scheme Authority (NAPSA). Zambia is a member of several regional bodies inclusing the African Union, African Development Bank, Common Market for Eastern and Central Africa (COMESA), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and more. Refer to these bodies for regulations around movement of goods and human capital. The list of considerations is endless. In case you wish to get a detailed research report about doing business in Zambia from FourthIR, do not hesitake to get in touch on the contact details page. You can also listen to our podcast on how to register a business in Zambia here: https://zambia.fourthir.org/projects/podcasts

The history of Mobile Money in Zambia

Mobile money has transformed Africa from a financially excluded continent to a financially included one. Mobile money research highlights that mobile money in Zambia has seen various players coming onboard. The now defunct celpay was the first player. This was followe by Zanaco and Zoona who saw opportunity in the mobile financial service service. By 2017, the three main mobile network operators, MTN, Airtel and Zamtel had all launched their mobile money services. If you would like a detailed report on any aspect of mobile money in Zambia, contact FourthIR limited (See contact us page for details).

Zambia Transport Sector Data


If you are an international passenger, you are likely to use the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (KKIA). The airport (KKIA) won an award at the prestigious World Luxury Travel Awards.

Mobile network operations in Zambia are dominated by three players - MTN, Airtel and Zamtel.

The railway sector is dominated by Zambia Railways Limited and Tazara.

Agriculture vehicles are aamong the least owned in Zambia. Much of the small scale farmers tend to be labor intensive.

Zambian Kwacha Vs US Dollar Exchange Rate

The Graph shows the ZMW/USD exchange rate for the years 2013 to October 2022. The data is fortnightly. The Kwacha saw exponential depreciation from 2013 onwards until end of October, 2015 where it appreciated and stabilized. It appreciated to below K10 per USD by the end of July 2018. It then further depreciated exponentially to just under K23 per USD by may, 2021. This was followed by sharp appreciation.

Financial inclusion has gained renewed interest especially in Sub-Sahara Africa which has had high financial exclusion rates. In this graph, we show the account ownership data for the years 2009 to 2021.

The data suggests that Account ownership was the most dominant form of account in Zambia until 2020 when mobile money overtook it. The first case of COVID-19 in Zambia was in 2020, suggesting that it may have influenced account onwership of mobile money accounts.

This graph shows the financial development by starting with the depth of the Zambian financial institutions. This includes a time series of Private Sector Credit (% of GDP), M2 (% of GDP) and Private Sector Credit to Total credit (NDC).

Google search for the word 'Research'

The graphs show trends in the search for the word 'research'. FourthIR teams use this to prioritise research areas.