UPND has fulfilled most of its promises to the Zambian people already, says Matambo

Elisha Matambo, Minister of Copperbelt Province, has said that Hakainde Hichilema’s UPND New Dawn government has fulfilled most of the promises it made to the people of Zambia before being elected into power in August 2021.

Just under two years after its accession to power, the New Dawn government has achieved many significant milestones, such as the growing recruitment of teachers and doctors, and the wider accessibility to free education.

Mr. Matambo also said that he had witnessed the positive impact in his own province of projects that have benefited from the government’s decision to expand the Constituency Development fund (CDF).

Mr. Matambo was pleased to announce that the long-awaited, $499-million Kafulafuta dam project was set to resume, after works were paused in 2020 by the previous PF government due to a lack of available funds. The hydroelectric dam will service Ndola, Luanshya, Masaiti and Mpongwe.

The Copperbelt Minister was effusive in his praise for President Hichilema, saying that he “has walked his talk”. Among the goals Hichilema had set for provincial ministers were “creating an enabling environment […] so that investors are free to invest in our province”, and to “maintain law and order – there is no cadrelism which we used to have”. Mr. Matambo recalled how the Copperbelt used to sometimes be referred to as “Beirut […] because of the violence”, but law enforcement had improved – as had energy security, with the UPND directives ending load shedding.

Infrastructure in the Copperbelt province has undergone extensive maintenance and is due to enjoy further rehabilitation. Sewer lines have been fixed in Kitwe’s Kwacha constituency, and Ndola’s Kabushi constituency. This week, Mr. Matambo was present at a ceremony unveiling a K3 million road rehabilitation project for the Luanshya district, with 50 direct and 100 indirect jobs expected to be created by the Launshya Copper Mine-financed work. Incentives to keep Luanshya clean and green were also presented at the ceremony.