Hakainde Hichilema’s Globetrotting Isn’t Vanity – It’s Value For Money

Zambia’s tranformation since the arrival of the New Dawn Government in August 2021 has been a journey few could have envisioned.  

Upon his arrival in office, President Hakainde Hichilema was facing a slew of issues: the country had become Africa’s first COVID-19-era debt default; it was suffering regular power outages; and a global economic recession was on the horizon courtesy of COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Hichilema and his cabinet have wasted no time doing their utmost both to correct historic, chronic economic mismanagement from within Zambia, and to prepare for and adapt to ongoing struggles in the global market.

Less than a month into the New Dawn era, President Hichilema made his way to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly. Among the financial packages secured were: a $30 million “TradeBoost Zambia” USAID initiative seeking to further the Prosper Africa and Feed the Future projects; 2 million COVAX-developed COVID-19 vaccines; a partnership with the Millenium Challenge Corporation to implement a $332 million poverty reduction package through growth incentives, intensive water infrastructure investment and institutional strengthening. New Dawn had announced to the world that Zambia meant business.

Mr. Hichilema and his inner cabinet were then invited to the Glasgow COP26 Climate Change Conference in October 2021. At the summit a voluntary Green Growth Compact was signed by the UK and Zambia. The first of its kind for the African Continent (other than the not-dissimilar South African Just Energy Transition Partnership), the compact promised £1 billion of investment for diversifying the Zambian economy to further sculpt the nation into the crowning jewel of African sustainability-based green economies. The deal was described as the “tools in a toolkit” needed to strengthen the bilateral diplomatic relationship between Zambia and the UK and was the biggest achievement yet in Mr. Hichilema’s three-month tenure.

Following such an impressive first four months in office, in 2022 many thought the New Dawn’s luck would run out.  Yet last year the President and his ministers made 18 official international trips, securing some remarkable deals to provide a better future for Zambia.

President Hichilema arrived at the February 2022 European Union – African Union Summit in Brussels with further deals in his sights. At the summit, the government was able to secure increased financial support for the Zambian treasury totalling €300 million, as well as access to a ground-breaking Africa-Europe Global Gateway fund of €150 billion for sustainable African infrastructure projects. The fund is set to change the face of African sustainability, and Zambia will have no small part to play in this green shift as a model for renewable energy.

2022 concluded with yet another guarantee of future prosperity. President Hichilema met with KoBold Metals, an artificial intelligence (AI) exploration firm, who pledged $150 million in exploration and development of the Mingomba copper-cobalt mine. The mine is potentially the world’s highest-grade undeveloped large copper deposit, and will prove a valuable asset in the global transition towards electric vehicles, as well as providing transformative funding for Zambia and the Mingomba region in particular.

For too long Zambia’s power grid has been plagued by an overdependence on hydroelectric energy. Whilst it is one of the most sustainable sources of energy on the planet, it comprises 85% of Zambia’s energy supply, leaving the country dangerously exposed to shocks and freak weather ocurrences . In 2022, water levels were  among the lowest ever on record, meaning that the Kariba dam was unable to meet the country’s demand for power.  Forced load-shedding resurrected the infrastructure problems that had become commonplace under the Lungu administration.

New Dawn had spent much time researching and considering options to diversify Zambia’s energy sources without compromising the nation’s sustainable energy footprint. Recent developments have now made these plans a reality. President Hichilema’s recent visit to Abu Dhabi, it seems, will spell the end of hydroelectric-related power issues in Zambia. A $2 billion agreement between state-owned Zesco and UAE-based renewable energy company Masdar will establish solar energy projects in Zambia, expecting to add 2,000 megawatts of electricity to the country’s current maximum capability of 2,800. Gone will be the days of power rationing, however dry and sunny a summer the Zambian people face.

Beginning on Wednesday, 25th January, the Dakar II Food Summit in Senegal is set to tackle the challenge of malnutrition on the African continent. Among the objectives is to expand Africa’s agricultural output from $280 billion/year to $1 trillion by 2030. If such an increase in output is to happen, huge financial deals are likely to be agreed at the conference. Thanks to recent USAID infrastructure projects unlocking small Zambian farmers’ potential in the African grain trade, Zambia is set to become one of the leading providers of food on the continent.

Who can possibly imagine what might lie on the horizon for Zambia, as President Hichilema continues to approach trade deals with unreserved hunger for a better future for all?