18 Months of Zambian Recovery under UPND Government

This Thursday marks precisely 18 months since Hakainde Hichilema and his New Dawn government were elected into power, after a hotly contested election. The country’s economy was on a knife edge, with Zambia the first African nation to default on external debt in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. What have the last 18 months of New Dawn Governance looked like for Zambia. 

Education has been a central focus for HH’s government. Student meal allowances have been reinstated at all public universities, helping students through higher education in financially hard times. Student loans have been made available at all public universities, and free education has been made more accessible at primary and secondary school level. School classrooms are no longer empty, as the quality of education has encouraged families to send their children to free schools rather than incurring crippling debts for private education. Those that continue to send their children to private boarding schools, however, have access to better, more widespread government-implemented bursaries. Trade training institutes have also been subsidised to drive industrial growth, and the Constituency Development Fund has financed training sponsorships. 

In 2022, local councils received CDF equalisation funds in record time. The CDF has also driven market loans to assist nationwide market growth. The UPND has enlarged the CDF budget, from K1.6 million to K28.3 million, to better assist the Citizen Economic Empowerment Fund.

Employment rates have risen steadily. 30,496 teachers were employed in 2022, and another 5,000 will be employed this year, driving employment and education hand-in-hand. 10,000 young people have found work in graduate and internship programs. Local government workers now number 2,000, and 5,000 were inducted into the Zambian defence force.

Municipal employment figures have also soared. 200 jobs were created at the ZRA, 100 at the CEEC, and 100 and the fast-growing Anti-Corruption Commission. The Mwinilunga and Chipata Fruit Factories have generated a combined 12,000 jobs. By the end of 2023, 4,000 new health workers will join the current 11,200. Public Service workers’ average salary has increased by an astounding 22.5% under the UPND government.

Investigations into the historic misappropriation of funds targeted road corruption, pharmaceuticals and farming fund. All three have been addressed, and all three sectors have reported better efficiency since.

Load shedding has plagued many African nations after historically low water levels in waterways, including Zambia’s Kariba hydroelectric dam. Solar panel initiatives, energy diversification initiatives with the UK, UAE and Saudi Arabia, and the accelerated reopening of the Maamba Collieries powerplant have guaranteed long-term safeguarding against future issues with the energy grid.

Freedom of information and the elimination of media censorship were key parts of the UPND election campaign, and Zambian media has never been to transparent, helping true democracy flourish. The establishment of the Independent Broadcasting Authority has ensured that everyone is welcome in conversations about Zambia’s future.

Zambian industry has rapidly accelerated under new international trade deals. The announcement of an electric vehicle battery plant opening in the Copperbelt Province, and a U.S.-signed memorandum of understanding with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are major milestones in Zambia securing a prosperous future.

Human rights are being defended rigorously by HH and his government. The death penalty has been abolished, and the sentences of the 390 prisoners awaiting execution have been commuted. Laws preventing an Act like the repealed Penal Code Act have been introduced to ensure that Zambian human rights can no longer be infringed. The UPND has also pushed for a more diverse, inclusive government that better represents all Zambian people, to ensure that those in power defend the rights of the people who elected them as their representative.

Inflation has been reduced, debt contraction is under control, and major investments from various global powerhouses have ensured growth in Zambian industry, the economy and infrastructure. Zambia’s GDP is forecast to grow by 4% in 2023, and 4.3% in 2024, according to the African Development Bank. Diplomatic and financial relations with Western nations, such as the U.S. and the EU, have been massively improved, while healthy relations with China have been maintained.

Deals with international mining firms have been arranged to ensure that Zambia can drive maximum industrial growth while protecting Zambia’s reputation for sustainability. The Konkola Copper mine settlement and reinvestment, Mopani investment invitations and the major $150 million Kobold investment in the Mingomba copper-cobalt mine have all been landmark achievements for Zambia.

Memoranda of Understanding have been signed with Angola and Namibia to create cheaper and more stable fuel markets in Zambia. 

After years of recession, little investment and failing infrastructure, Zambia’s fortunes have been turned around in just 18 months by politicians who care about the wellbeing of the country and its people. All the facts point to growing Zambian prosperity, and the Government’s focus on driving improvements in education, agriculture, mining, infrastructure and public services show that the UPND is the government Zambia needed.