The Nkoya (also Shinkoya) people are a Bantu people native to Zambia, mostly found in the Western and Southern provinces and the Mankoya area. Their language is a member of zone L of the Bantu languages. As of 2006, they were estimated to number 146,000 people. Besides Nkoya proper, Nkoya dialects include Mbowela (Mbwela, Mbwera, Shimbwera), Lushangi, Shasha, Lukolwe, Mashasha.