Court reporters in Zambia, in southern Africa, have organized a new professional organization called the Court Reporters Association of Zambia. The association is interested in developing a certification program, possibly based on NCRA’s Registered Professional Reporter certification, in their country. The Court Reporters Association of Zambia was organized last year, on the advice of NCRA. Zambia has approximately 87 court reporters, about 53 of which are working reporters.
A contingent of Zambian reporters and other law professionals visited with NCRA staff on Oct. 30 to discuss NCRA history, NCRA’s certifications, how certification functions in the United States, and more details about NCRA’s testing program. The representatives included:
- The Hon. Mr. Justice Mathew L. Zulu (High Court judge)
- Brendon Mandyata (head of court reporting at Judiciary)
- Kambole Ng’andu (principal court reporter and president of the Court Reporters Association of Zambia)
- Mable Mvula (principal court reporter and secretary general of the Court Reporters Association of Zambia)
- Vallencia Imataa (principal court reporter and secretary of the Court Reporters Association of Zambia).
“This trip answered all the gray areas that we had, not only for court reporters but for the judiciary because court reporting is fundamental to the speedy dispensation of justice,” said the Hon. Mr. Justice Mathew L. Zulu.
In the future, the Court Reporters Association of Zambia hopes to expand their membership, certify their members, and recruit and train new reporters in Zambia. They will also work on developing their own General Requirements and Minimum Standards. Zambian reporters will work closely with NCRA to accomplish these goals.
“NCRA is the leading authority and advocate of the court reporting profession both in the U.S. and internationally. Court reporting associations worldwide look to us for guidance on maintaining excellence in the profession, the latest of which was Zambia,” said Matthew Barusch, NCRA’s Manager of State Government Relations. “Zambia started this association due to our advice, and with our continued support, we can help the profession continue to grow abroad.”
NCRA’s international outreach efforts also include NCRA’s affiliation with the British Institute of Verbatim Reporters and having international members, especially in Canada, as part of NCRA membership.
