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Expectations from the 2025 National Budget

By Michelo Maunga As we prepare for the presentation of the 2025 National Budget, expectations amongst all sectors of Zambian society are high. This will be the penultimate budget of President Hichilema’s first term in office. Thus it will be crucial in consolidating what the present regime has been endeavoring to achieve since 2021. A process that began in April and which will culminate in Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane’s address to Parliament in September, the past few months have characterized by countless consultative meetings and submissions to the Ministry of Finance and National Planning. As we near its end, I speak for much of our society when I say, we await with bated breaths for the contents of that famous Copper briefcase. The National Budget speaks to the priorities of Government in a given calendar year. Generally, it is themed on a particular policy objective. In the 2022 National Budget, for instance, Government placed its focus on the Mining Sector and Human Capital. Th
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Balancing CDF Drive with Needs of the TEVET System

By Michelo Maunga Since assuming office in 2021, the UPND Government has progressively raised allocations to the Constituency Development Fund. From a meagre K1.6 million, as at 2024, each constituency is due to receive K30.8 million. Going by the recent trajectory, it is expected that this allocation may well rise once more in the 2025 National Budget. CDF has 3 components; namely, Community Projects, Youth & Women Empowerment and Secondary School & Skills Bursaries. 60% of the fund goes to Community projects whilst the remaining 40% is split equally between empowerment and education programs. The implication of this is that there will be and has been an influx of students in the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship training system. The question that remains, however, is whether the TEVET system is able to absorb the demand that has been created for skills development. This author believes without addressing the bottlenecks in the skills development framewo
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The Cholera Outbreak, Hygiene in Zambia

 By  Michelo Maunga The country is in the grips of yet another Cholera outbreak. As at yesterday (8 th January 2024), some 200+ new cases were recorded. Presently, Lusaka is the epicenter of the pandemic, with the spread continuing to other parts of the country. As has been the case in recent history, the commencement of the rainy season seems to coincide with the onset of this deadly disease’s onslaught on our society. This begs the question as to how, as Zambians, we have made ourselves vulnerable to cholera, which comes, primarily, as a result of poor hygiene? Seen in light of sanitation levels in Lusaka, it is no surprise that we have made an acquaintance with this detestable illness. One cannot walk our streets without laying eyes on over-filled refuse bins and all manner of garbage lining our city. Many members of our society seem content with discarding their trash indiscriminately, even when in close proximity to a litter bin. As more people do the same, this trash accumul
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China, Smart Manufacturing Giant

By Michelo Maunga Within the Zambian context, the People’s Republic of China has featured prominently in recent weeks and months. Beginning with the role of the Chinese in our debt restructuring agreement, to President Hichilema’s just-ended state visit, the all-weather friendship between our two countries is at its strongest. Much has already been written on the results of this trip; my analysis will, therefore, direct the conversation toward a less explored but contemporary aspect of Chinese Industry, specifically, Smart Manufacturing. Before, I delve into this, allow me to provide some context. China has over the years positioned itself as the hub of the world’s manufacturing. Capitalizing on an abundance of cheap labour, having only been recently overtaken by India as the most populous nation, multinationals the world over relocated their production to the East African nation. Added to this was the widespread implementation of Special Economic Zones, further raising the country’s v
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The Need for Punctuality

By Michelo Maunga Recently, I attended a bilateral meeting between Zambian and Namibian delegates. This meeting was scheduled to start at 9. I arrived between 8:40-8:45 am, which by my own standards was late. Nonetheless, I arrived before the start of the proceedings. As I entered the Kenneth Kaunda Wing of the Mulungushi International Conference Centre, I noted the demarcation in the seating plan, with the Namibians and Zambians directly facing each other. Unaware of this separation, I noted that one side of the room was nearly full with the opposing end, practically empty. I made my way to the front of the near empty section and took a seat. It was at this point that my lone fellow Zambian mentioned to me that those looking on at us were the Namibians. The Zambian delegation would only be full an hour after the meeting was scheduled to start. I was gravely disappointed. I wondered the impression we created in the Namibians.  This meeting was for the purpose of advancing trade bet
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Zambian Manufacturing: At the Cusp of a Boom

By Michelo Maunga Introduction Happenings in the global economy are conspiring to provide Zambian manufacturing the opportunity to actualize its long held aspirations. This has the potential to set aside decades of below par performance and stagnation. Over the years, several similar opportunities have come and gone, with little sustained benefit to the local economy. Cases in point are the two copper booms, the first coming in the 60s and most recently prior to the 2009 Global financial crisis. In spite of these commodity surges Zambia remains a low income country. This potential is centered around three phenomena, namely; the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (Afcfta), the Green Energy Transition and The Russia-Ukraine War. I will begin with the Free Trade Area. AFCFTA This trade area represents what would be the largest common market for goods and services on the continent, linking a total of 1.3 billion people in an economy worth $3.4 billion. Brokered in Kigali, Rwanda
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Troubled Times in the Zambian Economy

  Introduction The Zambian economy is in the midst of a storm, brought on by strong headwinds. It feels eerily similar to the latter stage of the Patriotic Front regime. The dollar is breaching the K20 mark, the cost of fuel is at a record high (Nearly K30) amongst other problems. Zambians are murmuring and questioning the efforts of the UPND, particularly against the lofty promises they made to fix the economy. Things started well. In 2022, the Zambian Kwacha was stronger than the Russian Ruble, hailed as one of the best performing currencies in the world. The new government had clinched an IMF deal, the economy was growing amidst lofty policy statements, such as to ramp up copper production to 3 million metric tonnes by 2031. Momentum has fizzled out, however and the outlook is greyer than it was previously, with the Kwacha now being the 6 th worst performing currency in the world. I mentioned murmurings amongst the citizenry. I must hasten to add that unfortunately, some of t
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