in-depth interview

Zambia: “Lungu was autocratic, people died unnecessarily” – Hichilema

By Patrick Smith

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Posted on December 20, 2021 09:10

Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema — Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema (rights reserved)

The President of Zambia talks with The Africa Report about his vision for a new Zambia, from the protection of fundamental rights to creating a green-energy powerhouse. A deep dive into the thinking and modus operandi behind the new power in Lusaka.

A former CEO at two international accounting firms and the second-biggest cattle rancher in Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema is not everyone’s idea of a revolutionary. Invariably wearing a suit and speaking the language of double-entry bookkeeping and tax benchmarking fluently, Hichilema can seem more at home in the boardroom than on the campaign trail.

But he has also been a political prisoner and tortured in a Lusaka jail for leading an opposition party. Now he promises a new start for Zambia after six years of state capture and economic freefall.

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