U.S. Embassy Zambia

The biggest football tournament on the planet kicks off tonight — and we want to know who you’re rooting for!

48 teams. 10 from Africa. One trophy.

The FIFA World Cup 2026TM is being hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico — and the beautiful game is about to take over the world for the next six weeks.

So, let's hear it — which team are you backing? And who do you think is lifting the trophy when it's all said and done?

Drop your picks in the comments.
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My name is Likulunga Emmanuel Likulunga. I am a lecturer at the School of Natural and Applied Sciences at the University of Zambia. Last year, the United States Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program took me to one of America's great research universities, and changed the way I see my work, my field, and the world.

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I was hosted by Professor Anne Pringle, conducting research in microbial profiling. The skills I built there — molecular methods and bioinformatics — are not just techniques. They are tools that will shape how I teach, how I research, and what becomes possible for science in Zambia. Madison is a beautiful city, sandwiched between two lakes — Monona and Mendota — though nobody warned me quite how intense a Wisconsin winter could be.

But the story does not begin and end in the laboratory.

I traveled to Fort Collins, Colorado — a city that carries its history visibly, having transitioned from a U.S. Civil War-era settlement into a thriving academic hub. Walking through it, I felt the weight of American history in a way that no textbook had ever given me.

I learned to make my own chicken burrito. I stood in a kitchen, flour on my hands, figuring it out — and it was one of the most unexpectedly joyful afternoons of my entire time in the United States. I celebrated Thanksgiving with an American host family — sitting around a table that was not mine, in a country that was not mine, feeling completely at home. I played indoor soccer with new friends, running around a court far from Zambia, laughing in a language we all shared.

These are the moments that stay with you. Not because they were dramatic, but because they were real — ordinary American life, shared generously with a visitor from Zambia.

I am grateful to the U.S. Department of State for the Fulbright Program — for giving an upcoming researcher the opportunity to build world-class academic skills at UW-Madison while experiencing the warmth, the culture, and the everyday humanity of the United States. I came back to Zambia a better scientist.

When an outbreak strikes a remote Zambian community, every hour counts. Yesterday, the United States took a major step toward making sure Zambia is ready.

On June 3, U.S. Embassy Chargé d'Affaires a.i. Mich Coker officially handed over three state-of-the-art mobile infectious disease laboratories to the Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) at a ceremony attended by ZNPHI Director General Prof. Roma Chilengi and Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Kennedy Lishimpi.

Valued at $1.6 million — approximately K28.4 million — the laboratories are fully self-contained, rapidly deployable units that can be driven directly to the site of an outbreak — a remote district, a disaster zone, a community that cannot wait. Within two hours of arrival, they are fully operational. Each unit carries approximately 20,000 critical items for identifying, testing, and reporting on infectious diseases and can operate independently in the field for up to three weeks — no fixed infrastructure required.

As Chargé Coker said at the handover ceremony: "Every hour saved in identifying a disease can mean multiple lives saved. Faster diagnosis enables faster treatment, faster public health interventions, and faster protection of communities."

These laboratories are now part of Zambia's public health infrastructure — strengthening the reach of ZNPHI, supporting frontline health workers, and bringing advanced diagnostic capability to the communities that need it most.

This handover builds on six decades of U.S.-Zambia health partnership that has already saved more than one million Zambian lives.

Health security is national security. And Zambia just got stronger. 🇿🇲🇺🇸

For CDA Coker’s full remarks visit: https://zm.usembassy.gov/znphi-mobile-infectious-disease-lab-handover/.

Zambia's fashion industry is on the verge of a breakthrough! As the FashionEVO Summit & Show Zambia 2026 approaches, this is the perfect opportunity for Zambian designers and fashion entrepreneurs to enhance their business acumen and step into the competitive arena. Talent is just the beginning. The standout designers at FashionEVO and beyond will be those who can transform their artistry into a thriving business. This is exactly what our masterclass is designed to accomplish.

Join us at the American Center for Leadership, in partnership with the Zambia Association of Fashion Designers, for an exclusive, free three-day Fashion Design Masterclass. Led by the Association's president and dedicated team, this intensive program will empower both practicing designers and aspiring fashion entrepreneurs with essential skills, tools, and strategies to elevate their businesses and thrive in local and global markets.

📅 Dates: June 9–11, 2026 | Time: 9:00 hours – 13:00 hours daily

📍 Location: American Center for Leadership, U.S. Embassy Zambia 🤝 In partnership with the Zambia Association of Fashion Designers

🔗 Apply now: https://forms.gle/z8eCyLS6H8wWhGJX8 With only 40 spots available, make sure to apply by Friday, June 5, to secure your place. Is your fashion business ready to soar? Share in the comments what you're eager to learn!

There was a moment in history when ordinary people decided that freedom was worth everything. What they did next changed the world!

The American Center for Leadership invites you to a free screening of Eyes on the Prize — Bridge to Freedom, the landmark documentary that captures one of humanity's most defining struggles for dignity, equality, and the right to be free. This is not just an American story. It is a human story—told through the courage of men, women, and young people who stood up when it would have been easier to sit down, who marched when it would have been safer to stay home, and who refused to stop until freedom was no longer a promise but a reality.

No reservation needed. Just bring your original national ID and arrive by 8:30am. Share this with someone who believes that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. This Friday, prove them right.

📅 Friday, June 5, 2026, | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 American Center for Leadership, U.S. Embassy Zambia
🎟️ Free entry. No prior appointment required.

Six Zambian girls went to the United States on a STEM exchange. They came back with skills that could change their communities.

Rosaria Kapya, Daisy Mwansa Katongo, Wanzya Mwila Nauluta, Zoe Sakeni, Catherine Maango, and Rabecca Kaira are among the select group of young Zambian women chosen for an international summer program bringing high school girls aged 15 to 17 from around the world and to the centre of America's technology and innovation ecosystem.

In the United States, they did not just sit in classrooms. They got their hands on real technology — programming computers through algorithmic music making, exploring molecular modeling, working through environmental science challenges, and learning microprocessor automation. They learned to think like entrepreneurs: how to solve problems, collaborate under pressure, and design solutions that put people first. They met professionals at the cutting edge of science and technology and experienced firsthand what it looks like when a society invests in young women and takes their potential seriously.

They brought all of that back to Zambia.

At the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka, the six alumni came together for a career guidance and networking session to turn what they learned in America into action at home. Thandi Nkole, Founder and Coach of TC Learning Academy, spoke to them about connecting their interests and strengths to real opportunities in STEM, entrepreneurship, and the industries shaping Zambia's future. Her message was clear: the problem-solving mindset they built in the United States is exactly what Zambia needs. The session was coordinated by Thabo Masiye, a YALI Mandela Washington Fellow alumna who has supported the girls since their return. Deputy Public Affairs Officer Max Arcand told the girls he was proud of what they had accomplished and confident in what they would go on to do.

Rosaria. Daisy. Wanzya. Zoe. Catherine. Rabecca. They went to America as students. They came back as the next generation of Zambia's problem-solvers — and they are just getting started. 🇿🇲🇺🇸