PART 2

EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU:

 Zambia’s No.1 Envoy  and Development Agent for Trade, Inter-Governmental Cooperation, Infrastructure Development, resource Mobilisation, and People to People Exchanges.

By Sunday Chilufya Chanda

In this series, the author discusses the phenomenal development achievements of the last seven years of the Patriotic Front Government administration under the late President Michael Sata and his successor President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and how this unprecedented wonder of development which the current head of State is spearheading at home and abroad, can easily be taken for granted  just like people general take the wonder of the  stars in the night sky for granted, because they have become accustomed to the spectacle. 

In order to significantly improve the living standards of all Zambians, the PF Government, with President Lungu at the wheel, has embarked on several efforts at domestic / national, regional and international levels. Like the great African American, Malcom X said, “I don’t believe in fighting the war only on one front, but on all fronts”. Similarly, for the PF under President Lungu, the war against underdevelopment in Zambia is being waged on all fronts including the frontier to establish strategic partnerships at national, regional and international levels. These are briefly espoused in the following paragraphs.

1.   Selected Domestic Interventions for Ending Poverty in Zambia

Based on national priorities and targets espoused in the 7NDP and Vision 2030 while also being guided by its Manifesto, the PF under the guidance of President Lungu has identified several high-impact interventions to accelerate poverty alleviation and robust economic growth in Zambia. These domestic interventions include, but are not limited to, the following:

             i.            Investments in Agriculture. The areas of investment by the PF Government under President Lungu include inter-alia: input support, promotion of high yielding crops, crop value addition, agriculture diversification programs, irrigation systems as opposed to rain-fed agriculture, and so forth.

           ii.            Investments in Health. A nation is its people. Therefore, for a nation to develop, its people have to live long, healthy and decent lives. The Zambia National Health Strategic Plan 2017 – 2021 provides a solid foundation for the successful attainment of Zambia’s goal of being a prosperous, middle-income country by 2030. However, achieving this goal begins with transforming the country into a nation of healthy and productive people. It requires a paradigm shift and points to an all-encompassing dynamism in the management of health determinants by shifting the interface which the public has with the health sector from the hospital bed to those who manage health determinants. Under President Lungu’s leadership, investments in health include: enacting the National Health Bill into Law to cover all Zambians while also, building capacity of staff and strengthening health systems to combat disease, reduce maternal and infant mortality, and so on.

         iii.            Investments in Education. The African Development Bank (AfDB) has stated that: “Good knowledge is the main driver of economic development. That is why producing, acquiring, sharing, and diffusing knowledge – through various channels and processes of learning – make it the most important of all public goods.” The PF, with President Lungu at the center, has embarked on its quest to build the main driver of modern economies and human development – knowledge and skills. Already, the landmarks achieved are commendable, even though more work remains to be done in this area. For instance, prior to PF forming Government, there were only three (03) major public universities in Zambia – the University of Zambia, the Copperbelt University and Mulungushi University. Since then, several universities have been completed while others are in construction phase. Prime examples include the Robert Makasa University, King Lewanika University and others spread across Zambia.

        iv.            Investments in Power, Transport and ICT Infrastructure. There can be no development without suitable power, transport (road, air, rail) and communication infrastructure. Based on this sound economic thinking, the PF Government under President Lungu continues to modernize and build the capacity of Zambia’s power, transport and communication infrastructure, through massive investments. The evidence is there  for all see to see from Mongu – Senenga – Kalabo, and Solwezi to Chingola as well as Kawambwa to Mporokoso among others, the PF is demonstrating unbiased  country wide development.

          v.            Investments in Safe Drinking Water, Sanitation and Affordable Housing. The PF Government, with President Lungu at the center, is investing heavily securing safe drinking water, sanitation and affordable decent housing for all. President Lungu and the PF believe that this will prevent hundreds of deaths recorded annually – especially of infants – due to unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation and inhabitable shelter.

        vi.            Investments in climate resilience and environmental planning. These investments cover all key sectors of the economy including building eco-friendly, smart cities.

To end rural and urban poverty through the above (and other) interventions requires massive resources and support – both in terms of financial and technical resources. Needless to say, the former is scarcer than the latter in Zambia. Hence the need for Zambia to adopt a multi-pronged approach, or what Malcom X referred to as “a war on all fronts”, in quest for development. Key Among these approaches is forging strategic partnerships at regional and international levels in order to achieve the development targets espoused in 7NDP, Vision 2030 and AU Agenda 2063. Indeed, no country on earth or in history has ever survived by insulating itself from forging strategic partnerships with other countries. Zambia’s regional and international partnerships are briefly highlighted below.

2. Regional Partnerships for Zambia’s Inclusive Development

Since the Patriot Front (PF) assumed power, and currently under President Lungu’s tenure, Zambia has become increasingly involved with the continent and the world. Consequently, the country has stronger diplomatic links on the continent and globally. Regionally, Zambia’s role in COMESA, SADC, AfDB, and the AU has become increasingly important. For instance, Zambia hosted the African Development Bank (AfDB) Annual Meetings in May 2016, and more recently in July 2018, the country signed an agreement with the African Union (AU) to host the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSSOC) Secretariat in Lusaka. Hosting the secretariat will galvanise Zambia’s socio-economic influence in Africa and beyond. Trade with other countries in the region and internationally is generally on the increase and Zambia will in 2022 host the African Union Heads of State Summit.

Indeed, under the leadership of President Lungu, the face of the country continues to change markedly – and for the better! For instance, during the period 1965 to 1980, only one country in the whole of Africa, namely Zambia, had a negative growth rate of –1.2%. This was followed by a long painful period characterized by industries being closed, joblessness, crumbling infrastructure, and extreme poverty – misery. Even to the naysayers, Zambia has significantly progressed from this awful past since the PF came to power.

The advantages of regional cooperation are plenty. Among the key advantages of regional cooperation is the pooling of risks whether financially or for entire projects. For instance, through collaboration with the Government of Botswana, both Zambia and Botswana will benefit from the Kazungula Bridge. The bridge is being built at a unique point. This is the only confluence in the world where four (04) countries meet. The trade dividends are surely plenty for both Zambia and Botswana and other countries in the region. However, if Zambia were to go it alone to construct the Kazungula Bridge, it would have been at great cost at the expense of other equally important sectors such as health, agriculture and education, to mention but a few. The Kazungula bridge is scheduled to be commissioned before mid-2019.

3. International Partnerships for Zambia’s Inclusive Development

In addition to the strategic partnerships at regional level, the PF Government – with President Lungu at the center – has set out to foster mutually beneficial partnerships with countries from Europe, South America, North America and Asia. Broadly, the all-encompassing goal of the international (and regional) partnerships being established by the PF under President Lungu leadership is to: “uplift the standards of living of each Zambian”, through: providing decent jobs, affordable health care, competitive knowledge and skills, and adequate support mechanisms and an environment to enable all citizens to flourish.

Specifically, President Lungu is leading efforts to forge strategic partnerships across the globe because of the following reasons:

          i.            Inter-Governmental planning and coordination between Zambia and other countries. This will widen convergence of mutual interest in key areas of Zambia’s development agenda. In addition, the goal here is also to prevent unwarranted political risks, project risks, financial risks, and so on.

        ii.            Interconnectivity of Infrastructure and related technologies.

      iii.            Unhindered Trade and Investments based on the tenet of “mutual benefit”.

     iv.            Capital Mobilization / Financing and Investment. Indeed, almost every country in the world – including the USA and others – have needed help from other countries at some point in in their history. In order to attain development, significant investments have to be made, for example, in roads, ports, bridges, airports, hospitals, schools, and so on. This requires significant amounts of finance usually out of reach of most developing countries with the few exceptions such as China. More often than not, massive financing is needed especially in the early stages, owing to long-term recyclable period of most infrastructure.

       v.            People to People Exchanges. These include cultural exchanges, talent and/or technical cooperation, volunteer cooperation, and so on.

     vi.            Raising Zambia’s profile to the global community.

   vii.            Economic diversification from being a single-commodity economy (copper-dependence) to being a resilient, diversified economy. This will make Zambia become less vulnerable to economic shocks which come as a result of steep negative changes to international commodity prices.

Ends…//…

The Author is the PF Media Director

At the Patriotic Front Secretariat

In Lusaka

In the next article, Sunday Chilufya Chanda will continue discussing how the PF government under the able leadership of President Lungu ushering in a period of unparalleled development through the fostering of mutually beneficial partnerships with other strategic countries.