GUEST ARTICLE: THE HICHILEMA ECONOMIC PLAYBOOK – PROTECT THE GAINS OR WEAR MAKEUP?
Kennedy Chileshe
Luano Constituency ✍️
Fellow Zambians,
When history recounts the story of our nation’s recovery, the period from 2021 to 2026 will be remembered as a turning point. President Hakainde Hichilema did not inherit a thriving economy. He inherited a nation on its knees: drowning in debt default, choked by inflation, abandoned by investors, and watching helplessly as the Kwacha bled value.
However, the key difference between a leader and a populist is that a populist paints over cracks, whereas a leader rebuilds the foundation.
President Hichilema chose the hard road, the technocratic, disciplined, and sometimes painful path of macroeconomic stabilization. He refused to gamble with our children’s future using cheap political gimmicks. Instead, he bet on a simple, proven truth: Fix the macroeconomy first, and growth and jobs will follow.
The Scorecard Speaks for Itself
· IMF Backing Secured: A US$1.3 billion programme, restoring credibility that Zambia had lost for years.
· Foreign Exchange Reserves: Now at approximately US$6.5 billion, the strongest in our country’s history.
· Debt Restructuring: Over 90% of external debt restructuring commitments addressed by 2025/26.
· GDP Growth: Recovered toward 5–6%, moving Zambia away from stagnation.
· Mining Expansion: Copper production targets raised to 3 million tonnes long-term, with major expansions at Lumwana and Kansanshi.
· Social Protection: Free education and expanded Constituency Development Fund (CDF) reaching even the most remote households.
This was not luck. This was the Hichilema Economic Playbook, debt restructuring, fiscal discipline, reserve accumulation, exchange rate stabilization, and investor confidence restoration.
Why the 2026 Election Is Different
My brothers and sisters, the voter now faces a question no campaign slogan can answer for you:
Do you protect the gains, or do you wear makeup?
Because that is what the opposition offers, cosmetics. They did not fix the debt. They did not defend the Kwacha. They did not grow reserves. But they are experts at telling you what you want to hear.
President Hichilema told you what you needed to hear: The economy knows no quick fixes.
And he delivered. Not with fireworks, but with foundations.
What Happens If We Stop Now?
If we reverse course in 2026:
· IMF support will waver.
· Investor confidence will collapse again.
· The Kwacha will come under renewed attack.
· Free education and CDF expansions will be the first to be cut.
We have not come this far to return to the abyss.
My Call to Luano and All Zambians
I am Kennedy Chileshe, your unadopted aspiring MP for Luano Constituency. I do not hold power, but I hold conviction. And my conviction is this: President Hakainde Hichilema has earned the right to continue.
Do not be seduced by easy promises. Do not trade our stability for a mirage.
Let us go to the 2026 polls with one clear mission: Protect the gains.
Vote for President Hakainde Hichilema. Vote for continuity. Vote for a Zambia that finally broke the cycle of populism and chose to build.
The makeup will wash away. The foundation will last.
God bless Luano, and God bless Zambia.
Kennedy Chileshe
Luano Constituency