Hichilema speech lacked truth – Dr Mwelwa
By Thandizo Banda
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema’s opening speech at the Fifth Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly failed to provide practical solutions to the urgent challenges facing Zambians, says political scientist Dr Lawrence Mwelwa.
Dr Mwelwa said in a statement Hichilema’s speech lacked hard truth.
“While we acknowledge the speech was well-delivered and outlined several macroeconomic successes, it did not inspire many suffering Zambians,” he said.
“The President proudly reported that copper production has rebounded, that the Kansanshi Mine Sentinel Three [S3] expansion has received a US$1.25 billion investment, that Mopani Copper Mines has secured US$1.1 billion in fresh capital and that several new projects – including Lumwana Super Pit, Mingomba Mine, and Kitumba – are moving forward. These are indeed encouraging milestones for the mining sector,” he said.
Dr Mwelwa, who is also a governance activist, however, said all the mining projects combined would create fewer than 5,000 direct jobs in total – far too few to absorb the hundreds of thousands of unemployed young people entering the labour market every year.
“The Kansanshi S3 expansion is expected to sustain around 1,000-1,200 long-term jobs after construction. The Mopani recapitalisation has so far created about 2,000 jobs and will peak at around 3,000 at full production, before tapering back down,” he said.
Dr Mwelwa said Lumwana Super Pit, with its US$2 billion investment, would only employ fewer than 1,500 people directly when fully operational.
“Even if we are generous, these headline investments will yield a maximum of around 4,500 – 5,000 direct jobs in a country where over 300,000 school-leavers and graduates are seeking work annually. Mining GDP [gross domestic product] might grow, copper output might break the one-million-tonne mark in 2025. But the ordinary Zambian youth will still be unemployed and frustrated,” he said.
“This is why we called in our earlier press statement for the President to present a comprehensive job creation strategy, beyond celebrating foreign investment figures,” he said.
Dr Mwelwa said Zambia needed deliberate policies to expand small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) to stimulate manufacturing, grow agro-processing and invest in skills training because the mines alone could not solve the unemployment crisis.
“Furthermore, while the President spoke of debt restructuring and fiscal prudence, he said little about the cost of living crisis. Prices of mealie- meal remain high despite record maize harvests, fuel costs are rising and basic household goods remain out of reach for many families,” he said.
Dr Mwelwa noted the presidential speech had not answered the cries of farmers still waiting for Food Reserve Agency (FRA) payments, civil servants languishing in acting positions, or students excluded from scholarship and loan schemes.
