About Sebastian C. Kopulande
Presidential Candidate for the People’s Party | A distinguished Zambian leader dedicated to transforming Zambia through visionary leadership and inclusive governance.
At a Glance
- Presidential Candidate for the People's Party (2026)
- Co-Founder and President of VisionAfric Development
- Former Member of Parliament for Chembe Constituency
- Rhodes Scholar with PhD in Management
- Consultant to the African Union Commission
- Male Champion Advocate of Women's Rights in Africa
- Passionate advocate for girl child education
- Advocate for economic empowerment and industrialization
Who is Sebastian Kopulande?
Dr. Sebastian Kopulande is a distinguished Zambian leader, entrepreneur, and policymaker dedicated to transforming Zambia through visionary leadership and inclusive governance. With a wealth of experience in both the public and private sectors, he brings a track record of economic empowerment, business innovation, youth emancipation and political leadership.
As the Presidential Candidate for the People’s Party in the 2026 general elections in Zambia, Dr. Kopulande stands committed to building a prosperous, self-sustaining Zambia where every citizen has equal opportunities to thrive.
His leadership is founded on the ideology of “Ubuntu”, centered on integrity, economic empowerment, and job creation for all Zambians.
Background & Early Life?
Born on 22nd April 1959 at Chembe in then Mansa District (now Chembe District) to Theophile and Anna Chembe Kopulande, Sebastian was the sixth born of eleven children. His father was a Catechist in the Catholic Church at Chembe Parish in Mansa Diocese while his mother took care of the family at home.
Dr. Kopulande developed a passion for leadership and development at an early age. His academic excellence led him to pursue higher education in business, economics, and governance, equipping him with the skills to navigate complex national and international issues.
He attended primary school at Chembe Primary School and later proceeded to Bahati Minor Seminary (Form 1 to Form 3) and later to Mwense Secondary School (Form 4 to Form 5) from where he qualified to enter the University of Zambia.
Professional & Political Career
Dr. Kopulande’s early career saw him working closely with President Levy Mwanawasa, playing a key role in policy formulation and national economic strategies. He has served in various capacities, including as an advisor to the President and government institutions, initiator of strategic economic programs, and a leading voice in trade and investment policies and programs.
His extensive experience includes establishing different Government institutions to spearhead various Government social and economic programs, facilitating Zambia’s trade partnerships, promoting investment, and advocating for industrialization as a means to economic independence.
During the country’s wind of Change in 1990/91, he was one of the founding members of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) and served as Advisor and Campaign Manager for the Party’s Vice-President, the late Mr. Levy Patrick Mwanawasa in the Parliamentary elections of 1991 in Chifubu Constituency in Ndola.
On 11th August 2016, Kopulande was elected as the first Member of Parliament for Chembe Constituency in Luapula Province, northern Zambia under the Patriotic Front (PF) ticket and served until 12th May 2021. As Member of Parliament, Kopulande drove rapid development in Chembe in various areas especially education, health infrastructure, mobile communication network, radio station, electrification (including street lighting), piped water supply, roads, and more.
In 2024, recognizing the need for a people-driven leadership that prioritizes national interests over politics, he accepted the call to lead the People’s Party as its presidential candidate for the 2026 general elections.
Key Achievements
Sebastian Kopulande has a trail of major achievements in public office and is credited with numerous milestone innovations in public policy development and infrastructure projects that he helped initiate. These innovations include:
- Conceptualization and establishment of the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA)
- Conceptualization of the Multi-Facility Economic Zones (MFEZ) Policy
- Conceptualization and establishment of the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC)
- Conceptualization and establishment of the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU)
- Conceptualization and establishment of the Presidential Housing Initiative (PHI)
- The Levy Mwanawasa Stadium
- The Mwanawasa Bridge on the Luapula River at Chembe
Kopulande has extensive experience in economic development matters, particularly in the field of industrial and trade policy, economic policy formulation, small enterprise development, investment promotion and creation of a business-friendly environment.
Education and Qualifications
Dr. Kopulande is a Rhodes Scholar and holds a PhD in Management with specialization in Leadership from the University of America (UA) in California, USA, a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) in Management Studies from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom and a B.A degree (with Distinction) from the University of Zambia.
In 1993 he was elected as a PEW Economic Freedom Fellow at Georgetown University, USA where he studied Transitional Economics. Because of his commitment to ethical service in both the private and public sectors, he served on the inaugural Board of the Institute of Directors of Zambia and was later conferred as Fellow of the Institute of Directors of Zambia (FIoDz) on 9th February 2018.
Personal Life
Dr. Kopulande is married to Ethel Nansawa Namuchimba from Mwenzo, Nakonde District in Muchinga Province. They have four daughters and one son. Being a former Seminarian, born of a Catechist, Dr. Kopulande is a devout Catholic raising a strong Catholic family.
He has contributed immensely to various sectors of the Zambian society despite having suffered a debilitating car accident that led to the amputation of his right arm on 2nd November 2003. In recognition of his contribution despite his apparent disability, he was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Chijika Ngonga Disability Recognition Awards on 8th October 2022.
Dr. Kopulande is very passionate about youth development issues, particularly with girl child education. He established The ‘Build Chembe Foundation’ (BCF), a registered NGO focused on girl child education support programs.