For many years now, Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani has been working tirelessly towards the development and welfare of the Zambian nation. At one end are his businesses such as Mahtani Group of Companies, Finsbury Investments and Portland Cement Zambia that are continuously working towards providing better products, services and facilities for the less privileged sections of the society. At the same time, Dr. Rajan Mahtani continuously engaged in charitable contributions as well as philanthropic activities across different sectors and industries. Some of the areas where Dr. Rajan Mahtani has made significant contributions include education, environment and community services. Dr. Rajan Mahtani’s contribution towards the education system of Zambia is well-documented, especially for the establishment of the Steven Malama award.

The Steven Malama award was instituted by Dr. Rajan Mahtani in the year 2012 via Finance Bank Zambia where he resides as Chairman. The award was created for honouring the late Steven Malama, a visionary and distinguished legal professional with significant contributions for improving the legal framework of Zambia. The inaugural award was given in the year 2013 and since then, the award is presented every year. Each year, the top graduating candidates from the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education receives this award after qualifying for the bar in their first attempt. Since the institution and recognition of this award, the quality and volume of students opting for legal education have increased.

For the year 2018-19, the award recipient was Emmanuel Bwalya Kaluba. He received the award for graduating from ZIALE with distinction and also successfully qualifying for Bar in his first attempt. He was congratulated by Dr. Rajan Mahtani himself while receiving the award. Emmanuel also wrote a letter which was published at the Daily Mail. In this latter, Emmanuel thanked Dr. Rajan Mahtani for his contributions and providing opportunities for legal students to work hard and study harder. The award carries a plaque and prize money of K15,000 given to deserving candidate each year.