5 Kwacha

The P#25 series spans nearly a decade, bridging Zambia's post-independence optimism and its grinding debt crisis of the 1980s — by mid-decade the country was among the most heavily indebted in sub-Saharan Africa relative to GDP. Kenneth Kaunda's government briefly suspended IMF repayments in 1987, capping debt service at 10% of export earnings, a move that effectively ended formal relations with the Fund until 1990.

Thomas De La Rue held the contract throughout the entire run, a continuity that kept production quality consistent even as Zambia's economy deteriorated around the notes themselves.