President Hichilema Praised For ‘Lean’ Travel Team

President Hichilema has been praised for the lean travel team which he took to the UN General Assembly in New York last week.

Users on social media have been impressed by the newly-elected president’s forward thinking strategies to tackle climate change and corruption within the country.

Hichilema travelled to the UN meeting commercially on Qatar Airways from Lusaka and accompanied by just two ministers in a bid to reduce costs, whilst saving on CO2 emissions at the same time.

Just before he departed, President Hichilema said “Just like we promised before taking office, we will ensure prudent management of public resources and have therefore travelled with a lean team that is composed of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Finance, Stanley Kakubo and Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane respectively.”

Praising the President, Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono commented that the decision was a “first” for a region which sees “Emmerson Mnangagwa and Chakwera take planes packed with hangers on,” he said in a Tweet on Sunday.

President Hichilema’s decision to travel light and fly commercial follows criticism for former president Lungu who purchased a private plane with taxpayers’ money worth millions of dollars. Hichilema hopes to sell the plane in a bid to reduce unnecessary spending within his government during a time when the country faces a severe debt crisis.