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Mafinga District was created from the former Isoka East Constituency by his Excellency Former President of Zambia Mr. Rupiah Banda on 27th March, 2011. This creation was meant to bring development closer to the people of Isoka East who travelled long distances to access services in Isoka central business area.
Mafinga is a scenic and vibrant district with a wealth of natural beauty, a moderate economy, a unique cultural and linguistic mix and a high quality of life. Mafinga is a cosmopolitan metropolis of residents. The District now comprises 4,134 square kilometres spanning 154 kilometres from east to west.
Mafinga is a rural District located approximately about 1,134km from Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia and it boarders Isoka in the western part and Chama in the eastern part. The District also has an international border line with Malawi in the eastern part. Mafinga is situated between longitude 32°, 29° and 33°, 50° East and Latitude 9°, 45° and 10°, 49°, 2° South.
The main natural features in the District are the Muchinga Escarpment mountains range that is mainly concentrated on the Northern part of the district with some valleys in parts drained by some seasonal streams. The Eastern part bordering Chama District is relatively flat while the middle part along the Isoka – Muyombe road is relatively mountainous. Mafinga has various perennial streams like Nsami, which are used for grazing and gardening.). Being a new district, some of these streams will be assessed on the potential for a dam to supply water. In addition, the Luangwa River, which separates Isoka and Mafinga is big and fast flowing and leaves pools of water during the dry season.
The District is relatively warm and experiences a tropical savannah climate characterized by three seasons i. e. hot wet season (November to April), cool dry season (May to July) and hot season (August to October). The average minimum rainfall is about 974 mm per year. The average minimum temperature is about 35.9 degrees centigrade during the hot season. The average minimum temperature during the cold season is about 6.5 degrees centigrade.
About 80% of the households in Mafinga district are engaged in subsistence agriculture as their main economic activity. The most widely grown crops are maize, sweet potatoes, and cassava on a very small scale. Other crops include: bananas, millet, beans and peas which are grown mainly for domestic consumption. The district has a high potential in agricultural raw material supply base for value addition or agro processing, aquaculture production and fishing from the Luangwa River as well as from the small rivers within the district. In addition to the above stated activities, livestock such as cattle, sheep, goat, poultry and pigs; bee keeping for honey production or processing are also important components of the agricultural resources.
The key investment opportunities are:
Other areas that need exploitation include; Multi-purpose Cooperative Societies with solar milling plants that are now operational in various areas of the district, cattle ranching, mining and tourism potential through improvement of facilities in the Game Management Areas. There are a number of tourism areas in the District that includes the Mafinga Hills, Hot spring, the source of the Luangwa River, as well as other potential areas in the district
The abundant natural resources such as arable land, forests, water bodies, wildlife and minerals, coupled with the favourable business environment created by the pragmatic economic policies of the Zambian Government, makes Mafinga an attractive destination for investment. Mafinga is economically a significant region as the demand for agro products, housing, transport, energy and hospitality services are high, while the supply side does not adequately meet the demand. The investment opportunities in the district are within the agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure development, quarrying, transport and communication, Tourism and hospitality and the service sectors.
The District never had power until recently when hydroelectricity power was connected through Malawi. MTN, Airtel and Zamtel mobile Telecommunication coverage are available in the District including postal services.
The trunk road to Mafinga from Nakonde is tarred 60km in Isoka District and only 5km tarred in Mafinga District from the bridge separating Isoka and Mafinga up to a nearby village. The rest of the road is in a dilapidated state and is usually impassable during rainy season as culverts are washed away.
Most feeder roads in Mafinga are in bad state, making accessibility to certain areas difficult. This situation has hampered delivery of services to certain areas.
Transportation of construction and other materials is problematic since some areas are cut off, especially during the rainy.
Mafinga is a source of the Luangwa River, making it a potential tourist destination.
There are also ecological sites such as Mafinga, Mukutu and Mpando hills as well as the Finga Hills Falls which are potential sites for tourism.
These landmarks, offer tourism activities such as sightseeing, mountain hiking and camping. Mwenewesi and Malugule hot springs, in addition to wild animals such as monkeys in the Mafinga Hills and Hyenas in Thendele area, also offer potential for tourism
Muchinga Province is located in the northeast of the country and was created in the year 2011 after detaching it from mother province – Northern Province. The name of the province originates from the Muchinga Escarpment; on which it predominantly sits. The province elongates from southwest to northeast and is located on both sides of the Muchinga Mountains (Muchinga Escarpment).
Office of the Permanent Secretary
Provincial Administration
P.O Box 480137
Chinsali