Overview
The National Legal Aid Policy outlines Zambia’s approach to enhancing equal access to justice by broadening the scope of legal aid to include both primary and secondary services. It diagnoses gaps in legal awareness, limited geographic coverage, and weak coordination among providers, and proposes a mixed delivery model that engages the Legal Aid Board, civil society organisations, university law clinics, and the legal profession (including pro bono and Judicare). Key measures include recognizing and accrediting CSOs and university clinics, establishing training and regulatory standards for paralegals and legal assistants through TEVETA, and expanding the Legal Aid Board’s mandate to administer, coordinate, regulate, and monitor the national legal aid system. The policy also sets duties for justice sector institutions to inform unrepresented persons of their right to legal aid. An implementation framework details institutional arrangements, legislative amendments to the Legal Aid Act, resource mobilisation (including a long-term financing mechanism), monitoring and evaluation, and nationwide communication of services. Annex 1 provides a time-bound implementation plan with targets, indicators, responsible institutions, and budget estimates.