Open Zambia

16/03/2026

PAUL MUSHINDO UNIVERSITY CONSTRUCTION HITS 50% COMPLETION

Works on the construction of Paul Mushindo University in Chinsali District, Muchinga Province, have reached 50 percent completion.

Muchinga Province Education Officer Alexander Mulenga said the resumption of works at the university demonstrates government's commitment to infrastructure development for public universities.

Mr Mulenga explained that the project, which began in 2013, will enable youths in Muchinga and surrounding provinces to access higher education closer to their communities.

"It is government's desire to bring higher learning institutions nearer to the people to expand opportunities for education," he said.

Muchinga Province Deputy Permanent Secretary Brian Sichande thanked President Hakainde Hichilema for prioritising education, saying the President is "walking the talk" and fulfilling his promises to the people in the province.

The completion of Paul Mushindo University is expected to ease pressure on existing universities and reduce the cost burden on students who currently travel long distances to access tertiary education.

16/03/2026

NEW

Official Website of President Hakainde Hichilema

16/03/2026

PRESIDENT HICHILEMA ANNOUNCES 2,000 GOVERNMENT INTERNSHIPS

President Hakainde Hichilema has announced that his government will create 2,000 internship opportunities for young Zambians this year, placed across government ministries, quasi-government institutions, and State House itself.

Addressing delegates at the 2026 Youth Indaba in Lusaka, the President said government is also working closely with the private sector to broaden the employment pipeline for young people. To ease access to financing, each constituency will be assigned a dedicated Loans and Funding Officer — a professional resource to guide youth applicants through the complexities of loan applications and funding schemes.

President Hichilema also confirmed that 20 percent of all loans and grants under government financing programmes — including the Constituency Development Fund and the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission — will be ring-fenced for young people.

Reflecting on his administration's approach, the President said youth support is not rhetoric but a tangible expression of the trust young Zambians placed in his government. He called on the youth to channel their energy into discipline, innovation, and hard work, noting that transformative ideas most often originate with the young.

Youth, Sports and Arts Minister Elvis Nkandu praised the President for his sustained commitment to youth engagement. He announced that all Youth Resource Centres will be retooled as hubs for entrepreneurship, skills development, and economic empowerment.

Minister Nkandu also revealed that the Ministry holds more than 30,000 hectares of land across Mufumbwe, Mpongwe, and Mporokoso districts — available to young Zambians ready to contribute to the country's agricultural growth.

16/03/2026

WORLD BANK APPROVES $45 MILLION TO STRENGTHEN ZAMBIA'S ECONOMY AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE

The World Bank has approved approximately US$45 million in budget support financing for Zambia, the latest international endorsement of the country's macroeconomic reform programme.

The funding, channelled through the International Development Association under the Second Zambia Climate and Economic Resilience Programmatic Development Policy Financing, is built around three interlocking pillars designed to future-proof the economy.

The first targets fiscal discipline and transparency. New Treasury requirements will compel greater disclosure of copper price assumptions and non-mining fiscal balances in budget documents. A Credit Risk Assessment Framework will govern loans and sovereign guarantees, while a new State-Owned Enterprises Bill will tighten oversight of public companies and reduce fiscal risk to the taxpayer.

The second pillar is aimed at unlocking private investment. The government has operationalised a Public-Private Partnership Project Development Support Fund, introduced Carbon Market Regulations to position Zambia within international green finance flows, and approved a competitive procurement framework for renewable energy — reducing dangerous dependence on hydropower in an era of increasingly erratic rainfall.

The third pillar addresses Zambia's vulnerability to climate shocks. Amendments to the Disaster Risk Management Act will establish a unified early-warning system, while a new National Social Registry will ensure social protection reaches the households most exposed when drought or floods strike.

Finance Minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane welcomed the approval as evidence of growing international confidence in Zambia's reform trajectory. For ordinary Zambians, the benefits are tangible: more transparent management of copper revenues, greater energy security, stronger safety nets, and an investment climate built to generate jobs.

The approval reflects the structural transformation President Hichilema has placed at the heart of his New Dawn agenda, and represents a clear signal of growing international confidence in Zambia's reform trajectory.

14/03/2026

PRESIDENT HICHILEMA PUSHES FORWARD ON DEBT RELIEF AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

President Hakainde Hichilema has reaffirmed his administration's commitment to economic recovery, announcing that the Government is advancing phase two of Zambia's landmark debt restructuring programme, to reduce annual debt servicing payments to below 900 million dollars.

Speaking during the swearing-in ceremony of Health Minister Alex Katakwe, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Minister Malama Mufunelo, and Muchinga Province Permanent Secretary Tuesday Bwalya, President Hichilema said the restructuring had already created significant fiscal space, enabling Government to redirect resources into priority sectors.

The results are beginning to show. Funding for SME development has surged from just 20 million kwacha in 2021 to 515 million kwacha, a more than twentyfold increase that reflects the administration's recognition of small businesses as engines of grassroots economic growth.

Zambia concluded its external debt restructuring agreement with official creditors in 2023, following years of negotiations under the G20 Common Framework. The country defaulted on its Eurobond obligations in 2020 under the weight of over 17 billion dollars in total debt. The successful completion of phase one was widely regarded as a turning point for investor confidence, with the IMF's Extended Credit Facility programme providing a further stabilising framework.

President Hichilema also used the occasion to issue firm directives to his new Health Minister, demanding that medicines and medical equipment held in ZAMMSA warehouses be distributed urgently to clinics and health centres across the country — including in the most remote communities. He stressed that availability of medicines must translate into meaningful access to diagnostics and treatment for all Zambians.

For ordinary Zambians, these developments carry real consequences. Greater fiscal headroom means more money for schools, hospitals, and enterprise support. Combined with a transparent funding system for SMEs and a reinvigorated push on healthcare delivery, President Hichilema's agenda is increasingly focused on ensuring that Zambia's economic recovery is felt not only in Lusaka but in every province and village across the country.

13/03/2026

PRESIDENT HICHILEMA RESHUFFLES CABINET AND APPOINTS NEW PROVINCIAL LEADERSHIP

President Hakainde Hichilema has announced a series of significant government appointments.

In the most notable change, Dr. Alex Katakwe, the Member of Parliament for Solwezi East, has been appointed Minister of Health. Dr. Katakwe's medical background is expected to bring renewed professional focus to one of the government's most critical portfolios.

Joining the Cabinet is Mfuwe Member of Parliament Mufunelo Malama, who takes up the role of Minister of Small and Medium Enterprise Development.

At the provincial level, Reverend Mathews Chilekwa has been relieved of his duties as Muchinga Province Permanent Secretary with immediate effect. He is succeeded by Dr. Tuesday Bwalya, who steps in to provide fresh leadership to the province. Meanwhile, Northern Province Permanent Secretary Bernard Mpundu has been reassigned to Cabinet Office, where his experience will continue to serve the government in a national capacity.

President Hichilema extended his personal gratitude to Reverend Chilekwa for his dedication and service to the nation, offering his best wishes to the outgoing official alongside God's blessings to all those newly appointed.

13/03/2026

ZAMBIA'S THIRD-PLACE AFRICA MINING RANKING TO ATTRACT INVESTMENT

Mine expert Kenny Nyirenda says Zambia's ranking by the Fraser Institute of Canada as the third-best mining destination in Africa is likely to attract more investment into the country.

Dr Nyirenda said the ranking signals to investors that Zambia offers a favourable investment climate supported by a stable mining policy framework.

"This could lead to increased foreign investment in the extractive industry, as many investors consider Zambia a secure and profitable destination for mining ventures," he said.

Canada's High Commission to Zambia Chargé d'Affaires Corry van Gaal said the Fraser Institute ranking could encourage more Canadian mining companies to consider Zambia as an investment destination.

Ms van Gaal said the Fraser Institute report carries weight, particularly because Canada is one of the world's largest mining jurisdictions.

She added that the development offers an opportunity for Canada and Zambia to strengthen cooperation in the mining sector as Zambia works towards producing three million metric tonnes of copper by 2031.

The Fraser Institute's annual survey of mining companies assesses jurisdictions worldwide based on policy factors that encourage or discourage mining investment.

13/03/2026

⚠️ BREAKING: President Hichilema announces Ministerial appointments and Permanent Secretary changes
(story to follow)

13/03/2026

GOVERNMENT URGES ZAMBIAN YOUTHS TO REJECT POLITICAL VIOLENCE AHEAD OF AUGUST ELECTIONS

Information and Media Minister Cornelius Mweetwa has called on Zambian youths to resist being weaponised for political violence, urging them instead to channel their energy into national development as the country approaches its August general elections.

Speaking during Youth Day commemorations in Choma, Mweetwa — who also serves as Chief Government Spokesperson — said young Zambians hold significant power to help eliminate both violence and corruption from the country's political landscape. He was direct in relaying the President's message: "President Hichilema is calling upon all the youths of Zambia to frown upon and detest violence and electoral corruption."

Mweetwa made clear that the government expects elections to be contested on substance, not money. "We want members of parliament who will be elected on the basis of merit and capacity to represent their people in parliament — not on the basis of how much money someone is dishing around," he said.

The message was unambiguous: youths should be architects of a better Zambia, not instruments of those seeking to buy or bully their way into power.

Elsewhere, Southern Province Minister Credo Nanjuwa echoed the sentiment at Youth Day celebrations in Itezhi Tezhi, reaffirming government's commitment to sustaining programmes designed to improve youth welfare and expand opportunity for young Zambians across the country.

13/03/2026

ZAMBIA AND MOZAMBIQUE LAUNCH ONE-STOP BORDER POST TO UNLOCK EASTERN TRADE CORRIDOR

Zambia and Mozambique will officially launch the Chanida-Cassacatiza One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) on Saturday, a landmark development that promises to transform cross-border trade between the two neighbours and strengthen Zambia's access to the Indian Ocean coast.

The launch will be presided over by Zambia's Minister of Technology and Science Felix Mutati and Mozambique's Minister of Communications and Digital Transformation Américo Muchanga, reflecting the digital infrastructure dimension of the project, which integrates the customs, immigration and border procedures of both countries into a single unified system.

Under the new arrangement, travellers and transporters will clear formalities in both countries in a single stop, eliminating the duplication that has historically added hours and high costs to cross-border journeys. One-Stop Border Posts have proven effective elsewhere on the continent; the Chirundu OSBP on Zambia's southern border with Zimbabwe, launched in 2009, reduced average crossing times from several days to under 24 hours, serving as a model for this latest development.

The Chanida-Cassacatiza crossing is strategically vital because it connects Eastern Province directly to Mozambique's ports of Beira and Nacala, two of the most important maritime gateways for landlocked Zambia's imports and exports. The Nacala Corridor in particular has seen significant investment in recent years, including rail rehabilitation, making it an increasingly competitive route for Zambian copper, agricultural commodities and consumer goods.

The project dovetails with planned upgrades to the T4 and T6 highway access roads serving Chanida, pointing to a coordinated effort to build out the full logistics chain rather than simply digitising a single checkpoint.

For Zambians, the benefits are tangible. Lower transport costs mean cheaper goods in Eastern Province markets, faster export pathways for farmers and reduced friction for small traders whose livelihoods depend on cross-border commerce. In a province where agriculture and trade are the economic backbone of communities, this is precisely the kind of practical infrastructure that converts national policy into household prosperity and a concrete example of President Hichilema's vision of positioning Zambia as a connected, trade-ready economy that works for every citizen, not just those in urban centres.

13/03/2026

ZAMBIA TO LAUNCH SECOND ZNS VOLUNTARY NATIONAL SERVICE COHORT FOLLOWING APRIL GRADUATION

Zambia's Ministry of Defence will recruit a second cohort for the Zambia National Service (ZNS) Voluntary National Service Training programme later this year, with enrolment set to begin once the inaugural group graduates in April 2026.

Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary Maambo Haamaundu confirmed the timeline on Radio Phoenix, explaining that the first intake — which exceeded its own targets — began training in September 2025. A total of 1,138 young Zambians enrolled, surpassing the initial target of 1,092 drawn from the country's 156 constituencies.

Trainees are currently receiving instruction across three ZNS facilities: Chiwoko Training School in Eastern Province, Kitwe Training School on the Copperbelt, and Chishimba Training School in Northern Province. Haamaundu noted that the second cohort will be of similar size, as the capacity of the three centres remains fixed.

The programme, implemented under a Presidential directive, combines vocational skills with basic military instruction and discipline. The Permanent Secretary said the government's ambition extends beyond the training itself — graduates will be directed towards existing empowerment programmes to help them establish businesses and create employment for others.

"They will develop a culture of hard work," Haamaundu said. "They will become reliable employees not only for government but also for the private sector."

Graduates will also carry a competitive advantage should they wish to pursue careers in Zambia's defence and security services, having already completed foundational military training.

13/03/2026

MORNING PRAYER VERSE

“He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”

- Job 8:21