The onset of the rainy season has critical ecological and socioeconomic implications in Zambia. The rainy season in this region of Africa is initiated by the southward movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone but knowledge of the long-term timing of precipitation is limited by the instrumental record. Paleoclimatic reconstructions using dendrochronology can provide insight into the long-term trends in climate. However, Africa is the least sampled continent for dendrochronological research. To develop annually-resolved reconstructions of rainy season precipitation that better explain variability in past climatic trends, we need a dense network of tree-ring chronologies that are climatically-sensitive. Here, we present new tree-ring chronologies developed in Zambia, estimate climate-growth relationships, explore climatic teleconnections to tree-ring width, and develop a calibration model reconstructing rainy season precipitation in Zambia. Finally, we project forward the work needed to build a robust reconstruction of rainy season precipitation across sub-Saharan Africa.