The Zambian Economist publishes analysis that readers use to make decisions about money, business and policy. That places an obligation on us to be right, and to be clear about how we work. These are the standards we hold ourselves to.
Accuracy and verification
Every figure we publish is attributed to a named primary source and carries the date it refers to. We write “inflation stood at X per cent in June 2026”, not “inflation is X per cent”. Forecasts and projections are labelled as such, and we name whose forecast we are citing.
Where a claim cannot be verified against a primary source, we do not publish it. A shorter accurate article is better than a longer confident one.
Sources
Our principal sources are the institutions that produce Zambia’s official economic data:
- Bank of Zambia
- Zambia Statistics Agency (ZamStats)
- Ministry of Finance and National Planning
- Zambia Revenue Authority
- Energy Regulation Board
- Lusaka Securities Exchange
- IMF, World Bank and the African Development Bank
Where a source publishes the document online, we link to it so readers can check the figure themselves.
Independence
Directory listings, event listings and advertising placements have no influence on editorial coverage. Advertisers are not shown articles before publication and cannot request changes to them. Any content paid for by a third party is labelled as sponsored at the top of the page.
Political neutrality
We analyse policies and numbers, not personalities. Where we assess a manifesto, budget or pledge, we state the framework we are applying and apply it identically to every party assessed. We do not endorse candidates, attribute motive, or predict election outcomes.
Authorship
Analysis produced by our in-house desk is published under the Zambian Economist Analyst byline. Contributed and guest articles carry the author’s name and a short biography. Opinion is clearly labelled and separated from analysis.
Use of research and drafting tools
We use software tools to assist with research and drafting. Every figure, quotation and conclusion is verified against a primary source by a human editor before publication. Editorial responsibility rests with us, not with any tool.
Corrections
When we get something wrong we correct it openly. Our full approach is set out in the Corrections Policy.
Contact
Questions about these standards are welcome. Email info@zambianeconomist.com or call +260 775 574 228.