Written by Dr. Gabriel Pollen, Economist | Lecturer | Researcher | Consultant

While gliding the winds of hope the Hichilema administration promises in its fledgling days of leadership, I wish to add voice to the ongoing conversations around priorities for economic management under the new regime.

Drawing parallels between former President Lungu's presidential inauguration speech delivered on 13 September 2016 and the more recent presidential inauguration speech of President Hichilema broadcasted on 24 August 2021, it is clear that without authentic political will, competence and subsequent wide-ranging structural transformation, presidential speeches are mere rhetoric.

In 2016, President Lungu said, "My dear friends, You have placed on my shoulders a huge burden of responsibility… and indeed a heavy debt to ensure that at no time should you ever feel you had misplaced your trust and confidence in me. I won't let you down! … I have sworn to be a servant to every Zambian and no individual or group of individuals or class of individuals shall hold me hostage to serve their personalised interests. I will not disappoint you!"

Yet, at the end of the Presidential Stewardship of Edgar Lungu, Zambia has been shackled to debt almost equivalent to the size of its economy, in additional to a deteriorated macroeconomic environment and eroded living standards. In 2016, GDP per capita stood at US$1,331, dropping to US$1,084 in 2020. The Financial Intelligence Centre has also reported wide-ranging large-scale corruption, fraud and money laundering as attributes neatly woven in the Lungu administration. Judging by the 12 August 2021 presidential electoral votes, Edgar Lungu did indeed let the people down!

On 24 August 2021, incumbent President Hichilema intimated that "Fellow Citizens, You have entrusted the UPND alliance with the responsibility of serving you and running the affairs of the nation with your interests at heart. We do not take this responsibility lightly. We will truly be your servants and you the people, our masters. as your president, I will ensure that we deliver on our promises."

Also read: Elections in Zambia: opposition leader Hichilema wins landslide in presidential vote

Read more of this post