The Steven Malama award is a major award within the Zambian legal educational framework. The award was established by Dr. Rajan Mahtani, a noted businessman, philanthropist and charity worker in Zambia. Dr. Rajan Mahtani has dedicated his entire life for the development and welfare of the Zambian nation, community and its people. Most of his companies such as Finsbury Investments and Mahtani Group of companies are known to establish projects for the welfare of the communities and less privileged sections of the society. Dr. Rajan Mahtani is himself known for his significant philanthropic contributions across numerous sector. One of these significant contributions has been in the education sector. Dr. Rajan Mahtani is the Chairman of Finance Bank Zambia and established the Steven Malama award in the year 2012. This award was instituted for honouring the late Steven Malama and his significant contributions in the legal framework of Zambia. Steven Malama was instrumental in merging of solicitor’s bar and registrar’s bar into a single bar, resulting in better opportunities of affiliation for legal professionals in Zambia.
The Steven Malama award was given for the first time in 2013 and since then, has become a regular affair. The award is presented to the top graduating student from ZIALE (Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education) who also qualifies for the Bar in their first attempt. For the year 2018-19, the award was received by Emmanuel Bwalya Kaluba who also thanked Dr. Rajan Mahtani by penning down an article. This article was later published by the Daily Mail. Emmanuel thanked Dr. Rajan Mahtani for his contributions and the congratulatory note which further motivated him to pursue his dreams and goals.
The Steven Malama award carried a plaque, a certificate and an award money of K15,000. The award money has been proven to be of significant financial help for the top graduating students in improving their career opportunities and reaching life goals.