WE’LL REVISIT SECRET DEAL
…$1.5bn US-Zambia agreement lacks transparency, says Silumbe
By George Zulu
LEADERSHIP Movement (LM) president Dr Richard Silumbe says once voted into office in August, his government will revisit the US$1.5 billion health deal signed secretly between Zambia and the United States (US) by the United Party for National Development (UPND) government.
And LM presidential candidate Dr Richard Silumbe says Zambians have reached a point of no retreat, no surrender to regain their independence in August.
Commenting on the Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa’s message of gratitude over the US government’s support to Zambia, Dr Silumbe challenged the UPND government to come out clear on the controversial US$1.5 billion US-Zambia deal.
“Has this government signed the deal? This deal was and remains controversial and Zambians did not support it as it touched on the soul and spirit of the nation. If they have signed according to that speech by Mr Kangwa, once voted into government in August, it will be one of the first deals signed secretly by the UPND government that we shall review. We shall review it to ascertain the benefits accrued to the country,” he said.
Dr Silumbe said the UPND government should never be trusted to govern the nation beyond August because it believed in dark corner contracts.
“How would you go ahead to sign a controversial deal of that magnitude without making available the content of the deal? In whose name are you signing such deals? If this administration really meant well for the people of Zambia, it could have published the contents of the deal so that the owners of the deal would have known what they were signing for rather than doing things in the dark in secrecy,” he said.
Dr Silumbe challenged the UPND government to come out in the open and explain the extent of the deal with respect to the country’s natural resources.
“We were informed that the US government demanded access to high-value minerals such as lithium, copper, cobalt, gold and it also wanted to have access to health data and pathogens. And this government told us that it will not go ahead to sign. But what has happened now? Can this government tell the people of Zambia what it has signed for? And why hasn’t this regime informed the people about this deal?” he wondered.
And Dr Silumbe says Zambians have reached a point of no ‘retreat no surrender’ to regain their independence in August.
He said come August, there would be no retreat, no surrender to regain another independence from a government that did not care about its citizens.
“How can you trust a government such as this one [UPND], which cuts deals at night when people are sleeping? How many other deals has it cut without the knowledge of the people of Zambia? Zambians are angry with this regime and it is time it is voted out of power,” Dr Silumbe said.
Last Thursday, Kangwa thanked the US government for its US$1.5 billion health deal support recently signed.
“The Zambian government appreciates the recent support by the United States worth US$1.5 billion, a five-year grant covering the period April 2026 to 2030. This support will help consolidate gains in the fight against HIV and AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, while strengthening disease surveillance systems and safeguarding maternal and child health,” he said.
“The tangible impact of the strategic and targeted partnership is evident in saving lives, strengthening the health system and
improving the well-being of our people,” Kangwa said during the celebrations of 250 years of US independence in Lusaka.
