Tuesday, 10^thFebruary, 2026

The House met at 1430 hours

[MADAM FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

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ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MADAM FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER

A DELEGATION OF DISTRICT AND CONSTITUENCY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS OF THE UNITED PARTY FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Members, I wish to recognise the presence, in the Public Gallery, of district and constituency executive committee members of the United Party for National Development (UPND) from Livingstone District.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Madam First Deputy Speaker: On behalf of the National Assembly of Zambia, I warmly welcome the visitors into our midst.

I thank you.

PUPILS AND TEACHERS FROM LUUMBO SECONDARY SCHOOL

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Members, I wish to recognise the presence, in the Public Gallery, of pupils and teachers from Luumbo Secondary School in Gwembe District.

On behalf of the National Assembly of Zambia, I warmly welcome the visitors into our midst.

I thank you.

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

SPECIAL EXHIBITION OF THE LIBRARY COLLECTION

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Members, I wish to inform the House that the Parliamentary Information and Research Library has been granted permission to conduct a special exhibition of the library collection in the Chamber Foyer here at Parliament Buildings.

This exhibition will commence today, Tuesday, 10^th February, 2026, and will continue until Thursday, 12^th February, 2026.

A curated selection of the library’s most valuable and insightful books will be on display. This collection has been carefully chosen to reflect the rich history of legislation, political thought, and national development that forms the very foundation of our deliberations in this honourable House. I, therefore, encourage all hon. Members to take a moment, as their schedules allow, to visit the exhibition table at the Main Building Chamber Foyer and visit the library to access books of interest and other information in both electronic and hard copy. Library staff will be on hand to attend to any questions and assist hon. Members in any way possible.

I thank you.

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MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

ELECTRICITY SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY

The Minister of Energy (Mr Chikote): Madam Speaker, I thank you for granting me this opportunity to deliver a Ministerial Statement to this august House and, indeed, to the nation on the electricity situation in the country.

Madam Speaker, under the able leadership of the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, the New Dawn Government remains firmly committed to decisive actions, practical solutions, and results-driven service delivery.

Interruptions

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, in this regard, the Government has put in place –

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

 Let us give the hon. Minister a chance.

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, the Government has put in place deliberate and well-co-ordinated measures aimed at safeguarding the country’s energy security both now and into the future.

Madam Speaker, the Government’s policy direction is anchored on three key priorities and these are as follows:

1. to stabilise electricity supply for households, businesses, industry, and essential public services;

1. to diversify and expand the national electricity mix over the medium-long term to enhance resilience; and

1. to achieve universal access to clean, sustainable and reliable energy for all Zambians by 2030.

 Madam Speaker, may I now update this august House that Zambia’s national installed electricity generation capacity currently stands at 3,808 MW, of which 3,168 MW is generated by ZESCO Limited, while 712 MW is contributed by independent power producers (IPPs). However, due to the prevailing hydrological and operational constraints, available domestic generation presently stands at 1,635 MW. This deficit is being supplemented by 511 MW of electricity imports, bringing the total available supply to 1,971 MW against the current national demand of approximately 2,400 MW.

Madam Speaker, the House may wish to note that Zambia has continued to honour export commitments amounting to 175 MW in line with the existing contractual obligations. The resulting deficit is being managed through power imports via regional interconnectors, which continue to play a critical stabilising role in the national grid. In the short to medium term, this gap is expected to narrow progressively as additional generation capacity comes on stream. Notably, the commissioning of the pipeline solar power projects will add climate-resilient capacity, while the planned thermal core-based generation projects will provide dependable baseload power to support system stability. These measures will gradually reduce reliance on imports and reinforce national energy security.

Madam Speaker, with respect to hydrological conditions, the performance of the 2025/2026 Rainy Season to date, together with the projected outlook for the remainder of the season from the regional climate authorities and the Zambia Meteorological Department, confirms the occurrence and the continuation of normal to above normal rainfall across the country. As a result of this improved rainfall performance, water levels in our major reservoirs continue to rise and are projected to be higher than those recorded in the 2024/2025 Rainy Season. This positive hydrological trend has –

Interruptions

Mr Chikote: It has enabled the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) to allocate increased water volumes for power generation. In particular, ZESCO Limited has been allocated 15 billion cu m³ of water for power generation at the Kariba North Bank Power Station, compared to 14 billion cu m³ in 2014 and 18 billion cu m³ in 2024. This increased allocation is enabling ZESCO Limited to sustain an average generation of approximately 400 MW at the Kariba North Bank Extension (KNBE) Power Station throughout 2026.

Madam Speaker, looking ahead, the Government will commission new solar power projects and clean thermal power plants during 2026, which will further strengthen supply and increase system reliability. Consequently, electricity supply hours are projected to be maintained at twenty-four hours per day.

Madam Speaker, on electricity tariffs in April, 2023, the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) approved a five-year multi-year tariff framework for ZESCO Limited for 2023-2027, premised on a gradual migration towards cost-reflective tariffs. Following the declaration of drought as a national disaster in February, 2024, by the President of the Republic of Zambia, the ERB suspended the multi-year tariffs and introduced emergency tariffs to enable ZESCO Limited to raise revenues for emergency power imports, and to encourage the migration to alternative sources of power, such as solar and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). These tariffs were implemented in three-month intervals from 1^st November, 2024 to 31^st October, 2025. Following the expiry of the emergency tariffs on 31^st October, 2025, the ERB reinstated the multi-year tariff framework, effective 1^st November, 2025. Under this framework, tariffs for residential, commercial, social services and water-pumping customers have been maintained.

Madam Speaker, as a listening Government, we are alive to the concerns of citizens and we take them seriously. To address citizens’ concerns that electricity units are depleting faster, I have directed ZESCO Limited and the ERB to conduct investigation on the matter and provide a report by 16^th March, 2026. The Government, therefore, encourages citizens to exercise patience while investigations are being conducted. The findings will be availed to the public once concluded.

Madam Speaker, as I conclude, I wish to state that the New Dawn Government remains fully committed to securing stable, reliable and resilient electricity supply for Zambia. We will continue to closely monitor the power situation, strengthen co-ordination with key stakeholders and implement additional interventions where necessary, to address any emerging supply gaps.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Members are now free to ask questions on points of clarification on the Ministerial Statement presented by the hon. Minister.

Mr Charles Mulenga (Kwacha): Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for the Ministerial Statement that he has just delivered on the Floor of the House.

Madam Speaker, first things first, I would like to thank the Government and our hardworking President Hakainde Hichilema for adequately addressing a problem that came about as a result of a drought. Right now, my people in the constituency are very, very happy with this development. However, customers are complaining about the high rate of depletion of electricity units that they are experiencing. So, I would like the hon. Minister to clarify the increased rate in the depletion of electricity units. How did that come about?

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for the question.

Madam Speaker, as I was rendering my statement, I explained that in 2023, we moved to multi-year tariffs. However, during the drought, we decided to suspend the multi-year tariffs and introduced emergency tariffs in order to address the challenges we were facing. I also said that after the expiry of the emergency tariffs period, we reverted to the multi-year tariff framework. In this case, no increase has been made by ZESCO Limited. Currently, we have categories classified as follows:

1. the first category, known as R01, is for vulnerable citizens, whose first 100 units cost 35n per kW;

1. the second category is for those who consume 101 to 200 units. In this category, people buy units at K1;

1. in the third category, from 200 to 300 units, consumers buy units at K2.42; and

1. the fourth category is for people who consume more than 400 units. They buy units at K3.

Madam Speaker, these categories have been maintained from the time they were introduced. I want to believe that we are coming from a serious situation, where people were used to buying 100 units, and the units would last because there was no service. Now that we have jumped from (Mr Chikote looked behind) –

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Minister, respond through me. Do not look behind.

Laughter

Mr Chikote: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, we have made a very big jump. Some people were experiencing one hour of power supply while others were experiencing two hours and three hours. Now, a big jump has happened; there is power supply for twenty-four hours. So, consumption levels have changed automatically.

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, I thank you for your guidance.

Laughter

Mr Chikote: So, because of the increase in power supply, people think that probably, electricity tariffs have been increased. However, I have noted the concerns that the citizens have raised. The metres are installed by human beings, and so, we need to carry out an investigation to establish the truth behind the complaints that people are making.

Madam Speaker, I have assured the nation that the Government is investigating the issue. However, I wish to remind nation that power supply has increased from three hours to twenty-four hours. Maybe, consumption has also increased because households have started using geysers and other appliances.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Kampyongo (Shiwan’gandu): Madam Speaker, following the explanation from the hon. Minister, I am just as shocked as many citizens.

Interruptions

Mr Kampyongo (pointed at Hon. Chikote): People did not start consuming electricity when this Minister assumed his portfolio.

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Kampyongo: There have always been two categories of power consumption; industrial and domestic. I would like the hon. Minister to explain to the people. It seems he benefits from free electricity ...

Mr Nkandu: Question!

Mr Kampyongo: … so, he might not understand the complaints that are coming from the people.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member for Shiwang’andu, please, ask your question. Do not describe the hon. Minister.

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, he does not even need to conduct an investigation.  Even in this House, he can ask the hon. Members of Parliament how much they are spending on electricity so that he knows that, indeed, there is a raw deal. Electricity units are depleting like no man's business. Let us forget about the load-shedding that the people were subjected to. What basis was used to categorise power meant for domestic use? I ask this question because domestic power consumption has always been the same. What is the determinant to categorise household power consumers according to the categories he has given, and what is the consumption rate?

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member, it is one question per Member.

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, I would like him to explain to the people who are suffering.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: You can share your question with another hon. Member. Please, just ask one question and the hon. Minister will respond.

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, I want the hon. Minister to explain in simple terms so that my people in Shiwang’andu Constituency can hear him. What are the categories being used to break down power supply for domestic use?

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, firstly, I wish to correct the hon. Member’s impression. I do not consume free electricity.

Hon. Government Members: Yes!

Mr Chikote: If he was consuming free electricity the time he served as hon. Minister, that is not so under the current Administration.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chikote: Regardless of being Minister of Energy, I pay for my electricity services.

Mr Nkandu:  And we all pay!

Mr Mposha: We all pay!

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, I explained that there was a migration to a multi-year tariff framework. Consumers have been grouped into categories. So, I was trying to illustrate how the categories have been classified.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, to make the hon. Member understand, I want to tell him that there is category one, two and three.

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

Mr Chikote: I also explained that people in category one are buying their units at 35n per kW. Hon. Members can go and verify that with ZESCO Limited.  I have also said that those in category two are buying their units at K1 per kW. That is how the framework has been set.

Madam Speaker, I also said that following the concerns …

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

Mr Chikote: … from our good citizens, I have directed ZESCO Limited and the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) to verify the concerns to enable us to have the correct information to address the challenges that people are mentioning. However, I do not have any document indicating that ZESCO Limited has increased the tariffs.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr B. Mpundu: Why did you not come with it?

Hon. Government Members: Ah!

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

Hon. Member for Nkana, ask through the Speaker. Do not engage the hon. Minister. You have not been given the Floor.

Let us make progress.

Mr Kangombe (Sesheke): Madam Speaker, thank you so much for the opportunity to interact with the hon. Minister of Energy.

Mr Kampyongo: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Mr Nkandu: Sit down!

Mr Kangombe: Madam Speaker, I have listened to the Ministerial Statement carefully. The hon. Minister has explained what the current Administration has done, step by step. My question, therefore, is very precise, which I believe is part of the solution to the problem that the hon. Minister and the Government inherited.

Madam Speaker, ZESCO Limited has been operating on non-cost reflective tariffs for a long time. The entire nation, and hon. Members of Parliament who are here are aware. The Government introduced the Open Access Policy and the multi-year tariff framework up to 2027, to respond to the non-cost reflectivity that ZESCO Limited has been operating for a very long time, resulting in a loss of about five cents per kilowatt, which amounted to a very high figure, which in turn, made ZESCO Limited not bankable.

Madam Speaker, from my substantive question, I want the hon. Minister to give me a very sincere response on what the correct position on the non-cost reflectivity, multi-year tariff framework as well as the Open Access Policy, in helping ZESCO Limited to have a breather from the challenges it inherited from the previous Administration, where my older brother, Steve, was a Cabinet Minister.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Thank you.

Before the hon. Minister comes in, the hon. Member for Shiwang’andu wants to raise a point of order.  What is your point of order, hon. Member?

Mr Kampyongo: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Nkandu: Point of jealousy!

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, my point of order is on the hon. Minister of Energy. I do not know what the hon. Minister of Youth, Sport and Arts is trying to do.

Mr Chisopa: Kwashala two months ukuya, bachili balelanda pali previous Administration.

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, I posed the question to the hon. Minister of Energy. I wanted to know the criterion used to determine the tariffs he went back to speak to. In response to my question, he just went back to read out the bands and the categories. Further, I did not accuse him of consuming electricity for free. I used the word “maybe” because of his failure to understand what everyone is complaining about, including the citizens. Was he in order to ignore my question, but instead, he went back to read the same statement that he was speaking to?

I seek your serious ruling, Madam Speaker.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: As the hon. Minister is about to respond to a question, I will ask him to answer the question that was raised on the criteria used to categorise the people he mentioned in his response, since there was a portion that was not attended to.

So, hon. Minister, respond.

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, indeed, this Administration inherited a bad situation at ZESCO Limited. The institution was in debt. It was not even bankable. It was a cash cow. We introduced reforms. The reason the open access regime was brought in was to ensure that ZESCO Limited is helped to sustain its operations. We have tried by all means to make the institution bankable through the policies. Even with the investors coming in, there are serious issues around taking ZESCO Limited as an off-taker. The reason is that ZESCO Limited’s balance sheet is in a bad state arising from how the previous Administration used the institution. Today, we are proud to say that ZESCO Limited is moving in the right direction. Even investors have confidence in ZESCO Limited. By introducing the reforms, like the multi-year tariffs framework, the Government wants to ensure that the institution becomes sustainable by having cost-reflective tariffs. That is what our Administration is doing.

Madam Speaker, coming to Hon. Kampyongo’s question, I explained why this framework has been set up in the manner I talked about. I said that categories have been put in place. Category I is composed of people who buy units at K0.35n. The people in Category II buy their units at K1. Category III has people who buy their units at K2. It depends on how you consume the service. The explanations we have rendered to the good people of this country are clear. The previous Administration, under which my brother served as an hon. Minister, …hey put ZESCO Limited in the shape it was in.

Mr Munsanje: Who?

Mr Chikote: … put ZESCO Limited in the shape it was in.  

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Chisanga (Lukashya): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, the country is still grappling with the need to meet the demand for electricity supply to citizens. I want to know why the Government has continued to export electricity in the midst of this challenge.

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, first of all, the nation has to know that there are contractual obligations that the Government cannot stop just like that. That has to be done smartly. We depend on one another in this African region. In my statement, I said that 511 MW is being imported from other countries. That means we rely on one another. The 175 MW being exported, compared to what is being imported, is out of respect and to keep our relationship with our neighbours. That is why we reduced the volume. Remember, last time, when I presented a statement here, in this House, more than 175 MW was being exported. We have reduced that. Look at the number. That is how we live in our Southern African Development Community (SADC) region as well as the eastern region.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Chisopa: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Chisopa: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, you may be aware that during the time the Patriotic Front (PF) was in power, we never had twenty-four hours of load shedding.

Hon. UPND Members: Question!

Mr Chisopa: Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister is aware that his ministry has subjected the Zambian people to poverty because of its load shedding system. He knows well that only two months remain before they are kicked out of the Government.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

Mr Chisopa: Madam Speaker, they are very much aware that they are going this year.

Mr Mwene interjected.

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

Hon. Member for Mkushi South, a point of order is based on a procedural breach. You are now telling us what happened in the former regime. Please, let us stick to the Ministerial Statement that has been presented on the Floor of the House. If there is a mistake or a breach that has been committed, go straight to the breach. Do not take us backwards because we are busy. There is plenty of work to be done. What breach has been committed?

You may proceed.

Mr Chisopa: Well guided, Madam Speaker.

 Madam Speaker, when the hon. Minister was answering the question asked by the hon. Member for Shiwang’andu, he kept referring backwards. The House is telling me to not refer backwards when the hon. Minister is the one who referred backwards first. Is the hon. Minister in order to keep talking about the previous Government when he knows that he has failed? The people on the streets are moving without­

Madam Speaker, the welders’ small businesses have been closed down because of his ministry’s recklessness in dealing with load shedding. Is he in order to say that when he knows that in August, he will not be an hon. Minister because he will be kicked out of the Government.

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

Mr Chisopa: Is he in order, Madam Speaker, to refer to the previous Government when you always give guidance to stop referring to the previous Government?

I seek your serious ruling, Madam Speaker.

Hon. UPND Members: What order are you rising on?

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

Mr Chisopa: Standing Order No. 71, Madam Speaker.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Members, we are almost coming to the end of our term, and we have our own Standing Orders. A point of order is supposed to be brief and precise. Now, the hon. Member mentioned, I do not know, three items in the point of order. So, that point of order is not admissible.

Mr Hamwaata (Pemba): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, of course, the people of Zambia appreciate the effort that has been made to ensure that there is electricity almost twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The hon. Minister indicated that we are currently importing 560 MW. Can the hon. Minister inform the nation of the measures being put in place to reduce the number of megawatts being imported?

Mr Chikote: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker, and I also thank the hon. Member for the question.

Madam Speaker, in my statement, I mentioned that we are yet to commission projects that will be completed this year, next year and the other year. As we bring in the power plants onto the national grid, we will reduce imports. That is what we have put in place. This Administration works methodically.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chikote: We do not do things chipantepante.

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, we always –

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Minister, what is “Chipantepante”?

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, it is a haphazard way of doing things, but we do things systematically. That is what I mean by chipantepante.

Madam Speaker, there are many projects coming on board that will start injecting power, such as solar power and clean thermal power, into our national grid. So, there is a line of projects. Our target is to generate 10 GW of electricity for the nation. That is what we are planning. So, imports will reduce as soon as we start getting power from the projects that are in the pipeline and are yet to be commissioned.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Kang’ombe (Kamfinsa): Madam Speaker, last week, I raised an Urgent Matter without Notice regarding why electricity units were depleting much faster than before. On behalf of our residents who are following this conversation, we want the hon. Minister to be very categorical. Has ZESCO Limited increased the cost of electricity units, or basically, the units are depleting faster than expected? People have been asking out there. I think that we need to simplify the conversation for the benefit of our people. So, has the cost of electricity units been increased, or has ZESCO Limited found a different formula to subject to our people? Clearly, electricity units are not lasting as expected. That is my question.

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for the question. I believe that the hon. Member may not have been in the House because I responded to that concern. I said that ZESCO Limited has not increased the tariffs. I also stated that I have directed ZESCO Limited and the ERB to conduct investigations with regard to the concerns that our citizens have raised. So, we are waiting to have factual information, and that is when we can address the matter that our citizens have raised. So, the hon. Member should be patient as I have directed ZESCO Limited and the ERB to investigate the concerns from our citizens.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Kafwaya (Lunte): Madam Speaker, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to ask a question.

Madam Speaker, it could have been graceful for the hon. Minister to begin by apologising to the Zambian people for the amount of pain caused to them when they were load-shed so badly.

Hon. UPND Members: Question!

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, I can assure the hon. Minister that people have lost their livelihoods because of the Government’s failure to provide them with electricity. However, I am happy that the tariffs are gravitating towards cost-reflective tariffs. He has given us four types of tariffs: 50n, K1, K2.42 and K3. I do not know which one among these is gravitating towards cost-reflective tariffs. What is a cost-reflective tariff, and which among the mentioned amounts is gravitating towards that?

Mr Nkandu: Destroyers of ZESCO Limited!

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, this is not the first time I have come to this House to explain the situation concerning electricity supply. I remember when we were going through a very difficult time, I mentioned to the nation the challenges we were facing. I assured the nation of our commitment to working tirelessly to resolve this matter. That is how caring this Administration is.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chikote: I mentioned at that time that by December 2025, the situation would not be the same. The problem of load-shedding was not created by this Administration. The drought was not created by anybody. ZESCO Limited incurred debts under your Administration (pointed at Hon. Kafwaya) when you were an hon. Minister yourself.

Hon. UPND Members: Yes!

Mr Kasandwe: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, this Administration has come up with reforms that will help us grow and enhance the energy subsector. The results are already being seen. Today, we have bounced back to supplying power twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This is what Zambians expected. What more can we do other than provide a twenty-four-hour supply of electricity to the good citizens of this country, compared to those who messed up ZESCO Limited and made it a cash cow. We, the New Dawn Administration, have done our best to address the challenges faced by welders at Buseko and Kalingalinga markets. We have provided power. Even when we were going through a difficult time, we were able to find interventions to help our people. That is the love that we have for our citizens. We provided power generators as immediate interventions. Our colleagues, especially those who were Ministers in the previous Government must be ‘ashamed’ and they keep on dreaming that they are going to kick us out.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Minister, can you, please, withdraw the word “ashamed” and replace it with a better word.

Interruptions

 

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Just withdraw the word “ashamed”.

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, I withdraw the word ashamed. Let me say that our colleagues must learn to repent, because they owe the people of this country a lot.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, we have come up with tariff categories, as a way of migrating to cost-reflective tariffs, because we have to move systematically. That is why we said that the vulnerable people will pay 35n per unit. The second category is –

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Minister!

The consultations are becoming louder. Can you, please, give room to the hon. Minister to respond because the people out there are also listening. Let us have a quiet environment.

Hon. Minister, you may continue.

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, I was concluding by saying that the third category will buy units at K2.42. These amounts are the ones we have put in place to systematically migrate to cost-reflective tariffs. However, this has to be done gradually. We cannot abruptly increase the tariffs from 35n to K6 per unit. We have a system in place within the framework that we have set for ourselves.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Kasandwe: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Kasandwe: Madam Speaker, my point of order is pursuant to Standing Order No. 71, concerning factual information.

Madam Speaker, we are discussing whether ZESCO Limited adjusted tariffs or not. Instead of the hon. Minister providing that information, he is saying something else. We are not discussing yesterday’s tariffs. We are discussing the tariffs of today. We all realise that the increase in tariffs has affected many Zambians. The point of order is directed to that hon. Minister because he is insinuating that the drought was caused by the Patriotic Front (PF).

Mr Nkandu: Question!

Mr Kasandwe: Madam Speaker, he is saying that the drought was caused by the PF.

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Kasandwe: Madam Speaker, is the hon. Minister of load-shedding and high tariffs …

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Kasandwe: … in order to insinuate that the PF caused the drought?

Laughter

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member for Bangweulu, I will not admit that point of order because the way you have addressed the hon. Minister is not appropriate. We all know that he is the hon. Minister of Energy, and not the hon. Minister of load-shedding and whatever else you said. We do not have a ministry of that nature in our country. So, I will not admit that point of order.

Let us make progress in the remaining two minutes.

Mr Kafwaya rose.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member for Lunte, I had given you an opportunity to ask a question. 

Hon. Government Members: Sit down!

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, my question was very simple. I asked the hon. Minister: What is a cost reflective tariff? It was very simple, but the hon. Minister said all the things he said and avoided answering the question.

Madam Speaker, please, direct him to answer the question.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Alright, hon. Member for Kamfinsa, you may ask your last question.

Hon. Minister, when responding to the hon. Member for Kamfinsa, answer the question asked by the hon. Member for Lunte also. 

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy Speaker: The hon. Member for Kamfinsa has left?

Mr B. Mpundu: Mwipusheko.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: I will allow the question by the hon. Member for Sikongo.

Mr Simushi (Sikongo): Madam Speaker, I think, it is important to put things in context. Load-shedding did not start with the New Dawn Administration; it was there even during the Patriotic Front (PF) Administration. I would like to commend the New Dawn Administration for being magnanimous and facing the problem with sincerity. As we speak, today, load-shedding is a thing of the past. The Government has put in place sustainable solutions for the problem, unlike the past administration, which urged citizens to go and urinate in Kariba Dam to fill it.

Mr Mufalali: Hear, hear!

Mr Simushi: Madam Speaker, given the pace of economic development we are witnessing in this country, such as investment in agriculture, manufacturing and mining, I think our energy needs will go up. So, do we have long-term plans to invest in nuclear energy for economic purposes?

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for the question.

Madam Speaker, indeed, this Administration has plans to keep working on the targets we have committed ourselves to achieving. Maybe, the hon. Member missed the point. We are still saying that our target is to reach 10 GW production by 2030. We are looking at our energy mix. Nuclear is one of the sources of energy we are targeting, and processes have already started to implement that. We are building capacity for our experts to understand what is required for us to start investing in nuclear energy.

 I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Minister, what about the question asked by the hon. Member for Lunte? If you still remember it, you may answer.

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, I explained that the systems we have put in place will help us migrate to cost-reflective tariffs. That is what I explained. I have also mentioned the categories of tariffs and why we planned them in that fashion.

Hon. Opposition Members: You have increased them!

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, we have not increased the tariffs. All we have done is come up with a plan that will gradually migrate us to cost-reflective tariffs.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Chala (Chipili): Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister stated that ZESCO Limited is now producing power that we cannot even consume. We are consuming less than what is being produced. Again, using the same mouth, the hon. Minister said that the Government is importing more than 500 MW. I am now wondering if ZESCO Limited is producing enough or surplus electricity because we have continued importing electricity. Are we importing for export? Maybe, we are doing this to maintain co-operation with other countries. Are we importing electricity in order to satisfy other countries?

Laughter

Mr Chala: I want to know.

Mr Nkandu: Question!

Mr Chala: Why are we importing electricity that we do not need? ZESCO Limited is producing more than what we can consume. Why should we not use the money that –

 

Interruptions

Mr Chala: That is what he said. 

Laughter

Mr Chala: Madam Speaker, I want clarity on why we are importing electricity when we are producing more than what we are supposed to consume.

Mr Nkandu: Question!

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for the question.

Madam Speaker, in my statement, there is nowhere I said that ZESCO Limited is producing more than enough, or that we have a surplus. I stated the figure that ZESCO Limited is generating. I also said that we are importing about 511 MW to supplement what we have. That is what was in my Ministerial Statement. The reason we are still importing electricity is that the national demand is 2,400 MW, but we are only generating 1,900 MW. What we are generating is not equivalent to the national demand. That is why we are importing electricity. We are importing electricity so that we supplement what we are producing.

 I thank you, Madam Speaker.

_______

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

CHALLENGES IN ACCESSING SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATION

158. Mr Mtayachalo (Chama North) asked the Minister of Education: 

1. whether the Government is aware that Form 1 pupils in some parts of Chama North Parliamentary Constituency and other rural constituencies have challenges accessing secondary school education, following the downgrading of basic schools to primary schools, under the new education curriculum; and

1. if so, what urgent measures are being taken to remedy the situation.

The Minister of Education (Mr Syakalima): Madam Speaker, I wish to inform the House that the Government is aware of concerns regarding access to Form 1 places in parts of Chama North Parliamentary Constituency and other rural constituencies. These concerns have arisen in the context of the implementation of the revised education curriculum, which classifies  some former basic schools as primary schools coupled with a policy of non-automatic progression from Grade 7 to Form 1. During this transitional phase, some communities have exerted  pressure on nearby secondary school places, necessitating long travel distances for learners.

Madam Speaker, however, it is important to place the situation in its proper context. In Chama District, the projected Form 1 enrolment for 2025 stood at 2,205 learners. As of the latest update, 1,870 Form 1 learners have already been enrolled in Chama North alone, against the same district projection covering both Chama North and Chama South. This demonstrates that placement has progressed significantly and remained within manageable margins. Further, there have been no official reports of eligible Form 1 learners being left without a place in the district.

Madam, in response to anticipated pressures arising from curriculum reforms, the Government proactively implemented targeted interventions to expand access to secondary education before the roll out of the revised curriculum. These measures included the completion of previously stored secondary school projects and the construction of 120 secondary schools under the Zambia Education Enhancement Project. In addition, existing secondary schools, particularly in rural and underserved areas, were expanded to increase intake capacity.

 

Madam Speaker, a notable example is Chama Day Secondary School, which enrolled 656 Form 1 learners in the current intake compared to 233 learners in the previous year. This represents a 282 per cent increase in enrolment, clearly illustrating the Government's deliberate efforts to absorb increased demand and prevent learner exclusion.

Madam Speaker, before 2024, the Ministry of Education also issued Circular No. MOE 101/25/475, directing districts to identify and earmark selected primary schools for upgrading to secondary school status where enrolment levels and infrastructure permitted.  As a result, schools such as Kasangani, Kamphemba and Dungulungu Primary Schools in Chama North are now offering Form 1 classes, further easing access pressures.

Madam Speaker, to reinforce these measures, the ministry issued an additional Circular No. MOE 101/25/475 dated 16^th December, 2025, which outlines urgent national interventions on the placement of Form 1 learners and the continued utilisation of former basic schools during the transition period. The circular responds to reports of learners travelling excessively long and unsafe distances and provides clear guidance to provincial education officers to ensure flexible use of existing infrastructure. These measures include sessional learning arrangements, rationalised deployment of teachers and close supervision of the temporary learning facilities to ensure compliance to safety and quality standards.

Madam Speaker, in addition, the ministry continues to strengthen learner placement systems and bursary support mechanisms to ensure that no eligible learner is denied access to secondary education on account of distance or financial constraints. Provincial education officers have been directed to submit regular progress reports to headquarters to enable close monitoring and timely resolution of emerging challenges.

Madam Speaker, the Government remains committed to ensuring equitable access to quality secondary education for all learners particularly, those in rural and hard-to-reach areas as the revised curriculum is implemented in a safe, responsive and inclusive manner.

 Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mtayachalo: Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Minister for the responses.

First and foremost, I want to state that the new school curriculum is a progressive move because it is going to promote skills development and encourage  our people to go into blue-collar jobs instead of white-collar jobs.

Madam Speaker, I will give an example of schools like Sitwe, which is more than 60 km from Chama Boma, but currently, the situation is very bad. The hon. Minister mentioned Chama Day Secondary School, which was initially supposed to only enrol three Form 1 classes, but at the moment, the situation is so bad that it has increased to eight classes. As a result, the school administration at Chama Day Secondary School has gone to ask for space at China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, a contractor who was constructing the roads there to accommodate the eight classes.

 

Madam Speaker, to date, we still have children who are still languishing at the Boma because they cannot access Form 1 classes. So, is the ministry not going to give special treatment to Sitwe School and other schools that are in far-flung areas because Chama Day Secondary School is also now catering for Chama South because a number of basic schools in Chama South have also been closed. Is the ministry not going to consider far-flung places where most of the children are failing to access Form 1 classes? Children are now forced to leave their parents to start renting at the Boma. This is a very serious problem. Is the ministry not going to give special consideration to that situation?

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, this is a problem when one says one will ask a follow-up question and will frame it in the way one wants. If he was listening, he would have heard that I have actually addressed what he is asking about.

Madam Speaker, you always tell our hon. Colleagues to come to our offices. Now, this particular hon. Member came to my office on 3^rd  February, brought this letter (held it up) as a complaint, but even before I wrote back to him, he came to Parliament the very day and rose on an Urgent Matter without Notice.

I was wondering why he had dropped this letter on my table. I had to call the Permanent Secretary (PS) and several directors so that we could sit down and answer my hon. Colleague from Chama North. However, he has come here this afternoon to start asking about the same thing that he had asked me about in the letter. I have the letter with me. So, I do not know whether he wanted to waste my time in the office by getting all those –

Interruptions

Mr Syakalima:  Yes, you must listen to this. It is very important, Madam Speaker, because this is what you always advise.

So, I had to painfully come here, because this is Parliament, to look for this answer, yet I was preparing his answer. Alright.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Yes.

Mr Syakalima: So, it is nice to be a populist in order to be heard just like that.  I can now turn around and ask the hon. Member for Chama North if he has utilised the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). However, let me say that I am not happy that my hon. Colleague would come early in the morning to my office, I gather all my directors and the PS over the same issue. It is written here. I can show you, Madam Speaker. I wrote here and he wrote to me, and I said:

“Attention PS, ES. Kindly, look into this matter. If anything, let us discuss.”

 However, in the afternoon, the hon. Member comes here to ask about what he came to ask me about at the office. Here are the circulars. I have a circular here to that effect. First of all, we issued a circular in 2024.

Madam Speaker, I still remember when Hon. Sing’ombe asked a similar question here. I answered it, you can go and check the Hansard. You will find that these answers are there. They have been responded to before.  I also answered the same question, and repeatedly said this on 16^th.  For the avoidance of doubt, the ministry issued another circular of the same nature. This is   transition period. That is why I have said that the new curriculum is a phased programme. So, where there are such challenges, the ministry has directed Provincial Education Officers (PEO) and the District Education Board Secretaries (DEBS) to accommodate pupils at the basic schools. That is what I said three years ago when the hon.  Member for Dundumwezi asked a similar question. If the hon. Member thinks that I am not telling the truth, he can go and check.

Mr Mutale interjected.

Mr Syakalima: Otherwise, Madam Speaker, I can show him this circular (held up papers) so that he checks it.  Sitwe Middle Basic School is also in the other ward.

Hon. Mtayachalo interjected.

Mr Syakalima: So, what does he want to ask? It is therefore, important for my brother to know that if he drops a letter at the ministry, I get everybody to work.   The hon. Member was directed to file in a question on 3^rd February, 2026. That means that the time he waited for me to come and give an answer in this House, I could have already written back to him. I had to stop the process in order to reply to him through this parliamentary question. So, I do not know whether he still wants me to reply to his letter since he added several issues in it, including the ones pertaining to Chibale Secondary School.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Minister, since the question is already on the Floor of the House, I would advise you to respond to it for the sake of the people. The other one will be up to you. We can hear the responses from you on this particular question.

You may continue.

Interruptions

Mr Mutale: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Before the hon. Member for Chama North asks his follow-up question, a point of order is raised.

Hon. Member for Chitambo, what is your point of order?

Mr Mutale: Madam Speaker, thank you very much for according me this opportunity to rise on a point of order.

Madam Speaker, I hold the hon. Minister on the Floor in high esteem. I wanted to ask a question but I am scared because of the way he is pointing at hon. Members with papers and showing that he is not happy with all of us here, in this House. I wonder whether we will continue to ask questions.

Is the hon. Minister in order to point at all of us with the papers and show that we are not free to ask him questions?

Madam Speaker, I need your serious ruling.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: I think, I already gave guidance when I said that consideration of the question would continue. I even asked for supplementary questions. So, hon. Member for Chitambo, if you have a question, please ask the hon. Minister.

Hon. Member for Chama North, you may continue.

Mr Mtayachalo:  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Minister for his response.

Madam Speaker, I would like to put it on record that as hon. Members of Parliament, when we come to this House, we represent our people.

Rev. Katuta: Hear, hear!

Mr Mtayachalo: Madam Speaker, as the hon. Minister has stated, that letter was taken to his office on 3^rd February, 2026. What is the date today? There is pressure coming from the people in the constituency.

Mr B. Mpundu: February?

 

Mr Mtayachalo: Yes.

 

That was 3^rd February.

Mr B. Mpundu: Last year or this year?

Mr Mtayachalo: This year, 2026.

Laughter

Mr Mtayachalo: Madam Speaker, I mentioned that it is not only Chama. Most rural constituencies are also facing the same problem. If we hide what the people are saying on the ground from the hon. Minister, then, we are killing him. For instance, one traditional leader said that he does not want to see anyone campaign in his ward because of the same issue. So, when issues are brought before the hon. Minister, we expect him to attend to them, not to rebuke us. I do not think that has settled well. We want a solution in Chama.

Madam Speaker, we do not want to hear about the letter because he should have responded to issues by this time. That is why this matter was raised.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Ask your question, hon. Member.

 

Mr Mtayachalo: Madam Speaker, the situation is desperate. I would like to know whether schools like Sitwe Middle Basic School can be given special consideration. The downgrading of those basic schools has brought many problems. Will special consideration be given? There are schools in Chama South and Chama North where people cover about 60 km to 70 km to attend school.  Now, are they able to access education at the Boma? Will the Government not consider giving special attention to the schools that are far from the Boma?

That is my question, Madam Speaker.

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, the Government works with the PEO and DEBS offices. The ministry writes to these people who assess what is on the ground. The situation at Sitwa Middle Basic School, which the hon. Member is talking about, is as a result of lack of infrastructure. It would have helped maybe, if the hon. Member took it upon himself to consider the school under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). The Government is now getting to understand that the CDF is not utilised to the fullest in many constituencies. If the hon. Member had taken the trouble of building infrastructure, especially at Sitwe Middle Basic School, it would have been good.

Madam Speaker, I took the trouble of calling the DEBS this afternoon, and he said that he was informed that pupils are clamouring around the township because they do not want to go into the hinterland, even when there is space. The entire Chama District, which includes Chama South and Chama North, has about 2,205 learners. At the last count, 1,870 Form 1 learners had been enrolled in Chama North. There was no cut-off point this year, although certain schools had. Every child who attained a school certificate was taken to a classroom. The Government did not want them to remain outside. Hence, it was as if they had over-enrolled. At some point, a cut-off point was set, and some learner who had school certificates were not pushed to Form 1 and Grade 10. That is not the case now. Whoever attains a school certificate at Grade 7 and Grade 9 is given space rather than being left out because of a cut-off point. The ministry has written to the PEO and DEBS offices to find space because they are our eyes on the ground. I talked to the DEBS in Chama this afternoon, and he said that, maybe, the children do not want to go to other schools. They want to go to schools that are around town. That is the explanation I was given.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mung’andu (Chama South): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, the question asked by the hon. Member for Chama North is very practical. I will give an example. There is a school called Chingozi Basic School in Chama South, which is in Mapamba Ward. For pupils to access education facilities at that school, they need to travel a distance of not less than 100 km because of the change in the curriculum. They either attend Chifunda Day School or Chama Day School, if they are not selected to attend the boarding schools. I, think, the reason for the closure of that school was because there was only one teacher, and the District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) decided to discontinue basic education at that school. I even brought that to the attention of the hon. Minister. I know many such schools are affected not because of the infrastructure or, indeed, what is required to be at that school, but because the teachers whom we send to rural areas abandon their posts. This is against the New Dawn Government’s Free Education Policy. What measures have been put in place to ensure that pupils not only in Chama, but also in other rural areas countrywide, are not affected not because of deliberate closure or discontinuation of such facilities, but because teachers posted by the Government have abandoned their posts?

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, I think that could pose a challenge. However, if one is posted to a rural place and then decides to abandon it, one has fired oneself, and this is a directive from the President. When teachers apply, they say they will work anywhere in Zambia. So, if a teacher is posted to Chama North or Chama South and then abandons the place, it becomes a problem. Professional teachers work anywhere and they even sign forms stating that they will be at their post for four years. Of course, there are exceptional cases, such as a person’s health, but even then, we verify whether the medical report given is authentic because somebody can just get a paper, write and stamp it. We may not be physically there, but we are following up. According to the President’s directive, those who abandon their places have fired themselves, and we shall replace them. My hon. Colleagues should not come to my office and say, “This is my niece; do not fire her.” Otherwise, their niece will have no job.

I thank you, Madam Speaker

Mr Mutale (Chitambo): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to ask a question. Allow me to thank the hon. Member for Chama North for coming up with this question because I am one of those whose affected. My constituency is affected by this issue. I have been to the hon. Minister’s office and we spoke about this issue. The issue is quite severe in rural areas because female pupils are now made to camp elsewhere. This poses a challenge for parents and hon. Members of Parliament, as the pupils now need support with food, and security-wise, the girl child is not safe.

 Madam Speaker, a researcher who completed his thesis stated that our education sector is becoming a pyramid, meaning that we start broadly, but as pupils move up, the numbers reduce. I do not want to agree with the hon. Minister that this is the reason he abolished certain schools and maintained schools that are distant from each other. Is it possible to reverse this policy so that we can work hand in hand and support the policies that the Government has put in place to ensure that many pupils attend school?

Mr Syakalima: Thank you, Madam Speaker, and I also thank my colleague from Chitambo for that question. I guess he has now gained the strength to ask me because he was afraid.

Mr Mutale: Yes.

Mr Syakalima: Okay.

Madam Speaker, the policy will not change. This is why we said it is being done in a phased approach. Its conclusive stage will come to an end around 2028/2029. Anything new has challenges, and we must admit that. Otherwise, you will never start anything. You will crush land before you take off. It is just a phase. We will try and mitigate the challenges, rather than abandon the policy. Otherwise, the hon. Member will ask that we abandon free education. Is he going to suggest that?  He will not suggest that. The policy is good. It has brought every child into the school system.

Madam Speaker, we knew what the challenge would be at one point because many children now want to go to school, which means they were thirsty for knowledge, but their parents could not afford to pay for them. This point must be driven home. Free education was as a result of parents not affording to take their children to school, and the Government took on the burden of helping them. All of a sudden, 2.3 million children are in school. Where did they come from? So, firstly, it means that the parents could not afford to pay for them and, secondly, that the children wanted to be in school. How come the passing percentage rate has increased now that the numbers are higher? How is it that absenteeism rates are going down, when numbers are increasing? In view of the attendant factors that were put in place over free education, parents are no longer required to pay for their children to write the examination. The Government shoulders that burden. I think, as the Government, we are proud of that because we believe that human beings are a very good asset to any country. If you do not invest in your own people, you can never invest in anything. We have stated that the provision of free education is being done in a phased manner. We will be sorting out the challenges.

Madam Speaker, I call upon all of us to utilise the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). I also come from a rural area, by the way. How have I managed to build a 1 x 6 upstairs classroom in the village, yet we are all Zambians? So, let us utilise the CDF. This is why we had to apportion the CDF so that it goes directly to the people. I have been checking around and I noticed that the CDF is not being utilised to the maximum by many of our colleagues, yet it is disbursed to every constituency, and equally so. So, we will conduct an audit one day. If people want to wait until campaign time and say that they did not build anything, I will use myself as an example and show the people what I have built using the CDF. So, let us carry on. Let us not abandon something that we have already embarked on, and as my colleague rightly said, there are so many pathways in the new curriculum that will enable our children acquire skills and do many other things. So, if we do not continue with that, it means that we will not go anywhere as a country. Our children will not fit in the 21^st Century because it is about competencies and not outcomes.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

TARRING OF TOWNSHIP ROADS IN SERENJE

  159. Mr Kandafula (Serenje) asked the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development:

1. when the Government will complete the tarring of township roads in Serenje District; and

1. what the cause of the delay in completing the project is.

 The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (Mr Sialubalo): Madam Speaker, I wish to inform this august House that the Government has plans to complete the tarring of township roads in Serenje District.

Madam Speaker, limited funds have delayed the completion of the project, therefore, the plan will be implemented once funds are made available.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Ms Chonya (Kafue): Madam Speaker, I have taken note of the hon. Minister’s response. I want to marry it with what was the Government’s position at one point, which is that township roads were not going to be a priority because focus was on economic roads. Is that still the position of the Government, and is it the one affecting the construction of township roads in Serenje, Kafue and many other towns?

Mr Sialubalo: Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my dear sister, the hon. Member of Parliament for Kafue, for that supplementary question.

 

Madam Speaker, what makes the Government to be strategic, or not attend to some projects, is the resource envelope. We all know that not long ago, we were celebrating the success story of the sixth review under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). With the success of the IMF programme, the resource envelope will improve and areas that need township roads will be attended to. We are coming from a period when it was very difficult for the Government to have a breather, because of the debt that we have as a country. With the reforms that the New Dawn Government has undertaken, and the success that has been scored, the resource envelope will improve, and many roads, including those in Kafue, will be attended to.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Kandafula: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for the answer. The rehabilitation of the township roads in question started in 2011. A network of about 32 km was supposed to be worked on. Out of 32 km, only 7.6 km was worked on, leaving a balance of 24.4 km. As you may know, Serenje is very hilly. Some of the rubble that was left even choked our only source of water, which is Ibolelo River. This is the very reason we have been crying over the issue of road works. The contractor recently relocated to the site with the hope of working on the same road. The contractor was actually contracted by ZESCO Limited when it was constructing a 15 MW power station.

Madam Speaker, the resource envelope is minimal. However, has the ministry done a contract survey to determine whether parts of the same township roads, especially the hilly parts, can be worked on?

Mr Sialubalo Madam Speaker, I thank my dear hon. Colleague, the Member of Parliament for Serenje, for the follow-up question.

Madam Speaker, a contract to work on 32 km of township roads in Serenje was awarded in 2011. It does not take a long period to work on 32 km. However, we are talking of thirteen years from 2011 to 2024. That shows that the contract was awarded when the Government had no financial resources. The New Dawn Administration wants to take up projects when we know that money is available. So, as I stated earlier, we are going to undertake rehabilitation of feeder and township roads across the country when we have a breather, like we have now.

Madam Speaker, what happened is that way back in 2011, a contract was awarded for the construction of 32 km of township roads. However, nothing was done by 2021, when the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government came to power. That is not the way the UPND Government does things. We want to carry out works when money is available. I can assure my dear hon. Colleague that we are seeing success economically. It means that resources will be available very soon, and then we will attend to the township roads, not only in Serenje, but in all the towns in Zambia.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

CONSTRUCTION OF NEW CORRECTIONAL FACILITY IN NCHELENGE

161. Dr Mwale (Nchelenge) asked the Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security:

1. whether the Government has any plans to construct a new correctional facility in Nchelenge District;

1. if so, when the plans will be implemented;

1. what the estimated cost of the project is; and

1. if there are no such plans, why.

The Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security and Acting Leader of Government Business in the House (Mr Mwiimbu, SC.): Madam Speaker, the House may wish to note that the Government has continued investing in infrastructure development within the Zambia Correctional Service through construction of new facilities and rehabilitation of existing correctional centres. The Government has prioritised the renovation and upgrading of the existing facility in Nchelenge, which was commissioned in 1956 and has a holding capacity of thirty-five inmates. The planned works will modernise the centre. Its infrastructure will be renovated and equipped with the appropriate amenities and overall, its capacity will be expanded. Once completed, the upgraded facility will accommodate 400 inmates. It will comprise 350 spaces in the male section and fifty spaces in the female section. This intervention is aimed at improving living conditions for inmates and enhancing the operational efficiency of the correctional service.

Madam Speaker, the Government has no immediate plans to construct a new correctional facility in Nchelenge District.

Madam Speaker, the planned works to renovate the existing facility will be implemented when funds are made available.

Madam Speaker, the estimated cost of the renovation of the correctional centre in Nchelenge District is K10.6 million.

Madam Speaker, the Government has no immediate plans to construct a new correctional centre in Nchelenge District. Instead, priority has been placed on renovating and upgrading the existing facility to improve its condition and enhance its capacity.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Dr Mwale: Madam Speaker, let me put it on record that the situation demands that the hon. Minister visits the facility in question to see what is obtaining on the ground. During the last break, I took some time to visit the correctional facility, which is now hosting more than 200 inmates. Young inmates are combined with elderly ones. We are dealing with issues of human rights. Would the hon. Minister consider visiting the facility at one point when he is in Luapula Province? That facility is holding inmates from Chienge, part of Kaputa, Nsama, Mwansabombwe and Nchelenge itself. Would the hon. Minister consider renovating that facility?

Mr Mwiimbu: Madam Speaker, I just want to assure my colleague that I will be visiting those facilities. I will be opening a police station within Nchelenge very soon. So, it will be either at the end of this month or next month, but I will visit the facility.

Madam Speaker, I am aware that most of the facilities that are currently being used as correctional centres are not fit for the habitation of inmates. There is so much congestion, and that is why we are expanding the facilities we have. I sympathise with the inmates who are in Nchelenge.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Rev. Katuta (Chienge): Madam Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister is talking about visiting Nchelenge, but as the hon. Member for Nchelenge has said, the reason I have stood up is that Nchelenge also supports Chienge. We do not have a prison or any correctional service in Chienge. So, we all depend on Nchelenge. Now, I am now wondering if it is so difficult for the Government to find a K10 million because it is not something that the Government can fail to find. It is important for the People in Chienge, Nchelenge and other neighbouring districts to be provided with correctional services.

Madam Speaker, I want to find out if the Government has failed to find K10 million, because I have seen K10 million being donated to marketeers in Chingola.

Mr Mwiimbu: Madam Speaker, as I indicated, we have plans to rehabilitate this particular facility and any other.  As the hon. Member for Chienge will be travelling, campaigning for the presidency, …

Rev. Katuta: Exactly.

Laughter

Mr Mwiimbu: … she will notice that a number of facilities in the country were built in the colonial era and they are now in a dilapidated state. We have started renovating a number of them in trying to ensure that they become habitable. However, we have to take note that, as a country, we need to have priorities as we embark on all these other ventures we want to provide for our people.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Member for Chienge is aware that the people there have been asking for roads and other infrastructure. Therefore, when we consider together with her, we have to look at priorities. For the first time around, we have decided to construct a habitable road in Chienge ...

Rev. Katuta: Hear, hear!

 

Mr Mwiimbu: … so that as she campaigns in Chienge for her presidency, the people will tell her that it is Hakainde Hichilema who constructed the road.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Thank you.

Rev. Katuta: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member for Chienge, what is your point of point of order?

Rev. Katuta: Madam Speaker, I thank you for allowing me to raise this point of order.

Madm Speaker, Standing Order No. 71 states that we should be factual. 

Madam Speaker, the people of Chienge, Kashikishi and Kaputa yearn for this road. Now, when the hon. Minister speaks here, it is a policy. However, not even a shovel or pick is on site. Which road can be constructed in two months?

I seek your indulgence. The hon. Minister should be factual.

Eng. Milupi: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Minister, let me render my ruling before you raise your point of order.

We do not know how the ministries have planned their work. So, it is very difficult for me to make a ruling on that. If the hon. Minister says something will be done in two weeks, two months or two years, it is really up to him and his ministry based on the plans they have. I cannot argue with that because I do not know their plans. So, if the hon. Minister mentions something like that, he is in order because he knows what he is talking about.

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, I raise a serious point of order pursuant to Standing Order No. 71, on the relevance of what is said. Is the hon. \president, mayo, mayo, …

Rev. Katuta: Hear, hear!

Eng. Milupi: … in order to question the plan that we have on the Nchelenge to Chienge Road, the plan which has resulted in the New Dawn Government broken breaking ground in Nchelenge itself?

Laughter

 

Eng. Milupi: Is she in order to state that not a shovel has been put on site when she knows that the real construction of proper roads, as is the intention of the New Dawn Government, always starts at the end of the rainy season? Is she in order to state that? 

Mr Kasandwe: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Thank you.

Hon. Members, we have actually moved away from the question on the Floor of the House. The question was about the construction of a correctional facility in Nchelenge District. However, we have moved away from the question on the Floor and started talking about the roads now. So, because of that, the point of order is not going to be allowed. We are talking about the correctional facility in Nchelenge District.

Let us make progress. The next question is from the hon. Member for Chitambo. 

PLANS TO SINK BOREHOLES

162. Mr Mutale (Chitambo) asked the Minister of Water Development and Sanitation:

1. whether the Government has any plans to sink boreholes in the following areas in Chitambo Parliamentary Constituency:

1. Mangala and Ikunko in Katonga Ward;

1. Miseshi, Misumba, Moses Mikosa and Chikanda-Kanda in Mpelembe Ward; and

1. Musangashi, Kapepa and Mulembo in Chalilo Ward;

1. if so, when the plans will be implemented; and

1. if there are no such plans, why.

The Minister of Water Development and Sanitation (Eng. Nzovu): Madam Speaker, I wish to inform the House that the Government has plans to sink boreholes in Mangala, Ikunko, Miseshi, Misumba, Moses, Mikosa, Chikanda-Kanda, Musangashi, Kapepa and Mulembo wards of Chitambo Constituency.

Madam Speaker, two contractors have since been engaged for works in various districts of Central Province and an advance payment has been made. For Chitambo, the works are scheduled to commence in March 2026. As mentioned in (a), yes, indeed, the Government has plans to sink boreholes in the aforementioned wards of Chitambo Parliamentary Constituency.

I thank you, Madam Speaker. 

Mr Mutale: Madam Speaker, I am so grateful that the hon. Minister has saved the people of Chitambo by giving them more water.

Madam Speaker, my simple question is on the boreholes that he has given us and, we are very grateful for that. Are the boreholes going to be the water kiosks that he has been talking about? Is the Government going to upgrade the boreholes to water kiosks or will they just be mere boreholes?

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, I have received the message of thanks from the people of Chitambo. This is, indeed, a listening Government, and whenever the hon. Member comes to us, we will provide water to the great people of Chitambo Constituency.

Madam Speaker, among the boreholes, about four will be upgraded and mechanised, and these include Mpelembe at Mpelembe Secondary School, Lusenga at Malawushi Village, Chitambo at Chitambo Mission Hospital market and Nakatambo at Shadreck Mailo Health Post. These will be upgraded to piped-water schemes complete with tanks and solar units.

 Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Rev. Katuta (Chienge): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, Chitambo is a rural constituency, like my constituency. Water is life. The question asked by the hon. Member was on when the ministry would provide the water kiosks. I listened to the hon. Minister, as he read out the list of where the kiosks would be created. My interest is on when that will done exactly. The creation of a kiosk is not something that can be promised for years or months. So, I would like to know the timeline. When will the people of Chitambo be given those kiosks?

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, I can understand that the hon. Member may not have a lot of details, because the substantive Member of Parliament, Hon. Mutale, has been well informed.

Madam Speaker, the contractor will be on the site in March, and the first boreholes, the ones that will have the normal pumping equipment, will be sunk in April or May. With regards to the piped-water schemes, as I have informed the substantive hon. Member, will be set up a few weeks later. The hon. Member has been to my office and we are in sync. As this is a constituency-based question, he has since also informed his constituents in Chitambo.

 Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Fube (Chilubi): Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister has mentioned that the project is likely to start in March. In terms of agro-ecological zones, Chitambo is one of those areas that are receiving good rainfall this year. That means the water table may be false. Those who will be drilling the boreholes should consider that. Boreholes are based on groundwater. Given that this project is earmarked for March, April and May, come August, September and October, the boreholes are likely to have a challenge because the water table would have been accessed easily, as the sinking period is when the rainy season will be winding up. Is the ministry not considering pushing the date? I know that it may be against the desires of the person who asked the substantive question, but I am also looking at the area in which this particular constituency falls, especially in accessing the water table. The boreholes are likely to dry up. Is the ministry thinking of pushing the date, say later than March?

Eng. Nzovu: Madam Speaker, that question is very technical. Maybe, it would be important to clarify for the benefit of the many hon. Members and wider populace. Before any boreholes are drilled, the ministry sites them. Then, it also undertakes geophysical investigations. So, tests are done on the boreholes. It does not matter whether you drill a borehole in the rainy season or the dry season because they are drilled and equipped as per parameter that is found. Therefore, the hon. Members should be comfortable knowing that even when drilling is done during the rainy season, the geology of that area is determined and, obviously, the boreholes are drilled appropriately.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

_______

ANNOUNCEMENT BY MADAM FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Hon. Members, as you may be aware, Order No. 61(1) of the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders, 2024, provides that the House shall dispose the business in the order it appears on the Order Paper, or in such a manner as the Hon. Speaker may, for the convenience of the House, direct.

On the Order Paper today, Tuesday, 10^th February, 2026, the Order of the Day is appearing as Item No. 9. I wish to, however, inform the House that I have brought the consideration of the Order of the Day forward so that it can be considered immediately after consideration of Questions for Oral Answer under Standing Order No. 80. Thereafter, the House will consider the Motion of Thanks.

I thank you.

_______

BILL

REPORT STAGE

The Teaching Profession Bill, 2025

Report adopted.

Third Reading on Wednesday, 11^th February, 2026.  

_______

MOTION

MOTION OF THANKS

The Vice-President (Dr Nalumango): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that this House places on record its thanks to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana, Mr John Dramani Mahama, on the occasion of his special address to the House.

Madam Speaker, the National Assembly of Zambia was greatly honoured to host His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana, Mr John Dramani Mahama, who addressed the House on Thursday, 5^th February, 2026.

Madam Speaker, the address covered a number of important issues of common interest to both the people of Ghana and Zambia. In this regard, allow me to make a few observations about the bilateral relations between the Republic of Ghana and Zambia.

Madam Speaker, our national bilateral relations date back to the dawn of Independence, when our founding leaders, Dr Kenneth David Kaunda and Dr Kwame Nkrumah, shared Pan-African ideas and led the two countries to Independence from British colonial rule.

Madam Speaker, Ghana attained Independence in 1957, the first country to do so in sub-Sahara Africa, and this no doubt inspired other African countries to strive for their Independence, which Zambia eventually attained in 1964. Since then, Zambia and Ghana have maintained strong diplomatic ties, collaborating on regional issues, trade and development. We continue to root our bond in our shared values of democracy, human rights and African solidarity. Zambia and Ghana will continue to strengthen this bond that has existed since 1964, and we will continue to co-operate with the African Union (AU), United Nations (UN), the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and the Commonwealth of Nations for the mutual benefit of the people of both countries.

Madam Speaker, the recent visit to Zambia by the President of the Republic of Ghana has further consolidated long-standing ties and yielded tangible outcomes, including the signing of ten Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), aimed at strengthening co-operation across key sectors of mutual interest. Key among the memoranda is the introduction of a visa-free travel arrangement, which will enable citizens of the two countries move freely without a visa requirement between Zambia and Ghana, thereby, promoting tourism, facilitating business engagements and enhancing cultural exchange, among others.

Madam Speaker, as I conclude, allow me to place on record my sincere gratitude for this historical moment of having received His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana, Mr John Dramani Mahama, to this august House. I implore the House to deliberate on the issues raised in his Address, which not only affect our work as Parliamentarians, but are also of national, regional and international importance to both nations.

Finally, Madam Speaker, I wish to reiterate our continued commitment to further develop co-operation between the two countries in various sectors and at different levels.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Thank you.

Hon. Members, this Motion has to be concluded today.

Mr Kapyanga: Why?

Ms Halwiindi (Kabwe Central): Thank you so much, Madam Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Motion on the Speech by the President of Ghana, His Excellency Mr John Dramani Mahama. From the outset, I wish to say that I support the speech, and it was so inspiring. I could see that both His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, and the President of Ghana share the same values and policies aimed at developing their respective nations. They are true sons of Africa.

Madam Speaker, Ghana is thriving in the mining industry. The President spoke about small-scale miners who mine sustainably and contribute up to US$10 billion to Ghana’s revenue. That is very exciting. Indeed, that is the trajectory Zambia is taking. The country is now supporting small-scale miners. Licences have been issued to many small-scale miners in Mufumbwe, Mpika and Kasempa to start mining and contribute to the country’s revenue. We all know that, as a country, our Budget is now homegrown. We depend on our own resources, and this is one way the country can generate revenue to support our Budget. The policies in the two countries are really working.

Madam Speaker, another point that really excited me is the issue of supporting women, which the President talked about. He said that they have mandated at least 30 per cent women's representation in all sectors in Ghana. Similarly, in Zambia, the President drove the trajectory of having a deliberate policy to support women’s participation in decision-making and this was enshrined in the Constitution for the first time. The people saw what we did as Parliamentarians. So, the two countries are driving a similar trajectory. The policies are good and are driven towards developing the two countries.

Madam Speaker, what the President stated on page 2 of his speech really excited me, and the people of Kabwe. He said that, for a long time, too many African countries have remained dependent on external actors for security, donor funds and supply of critical minerals. As African countries, we need to come out of that. We should now start depending on our own natural resources. We should define our own sovereignty by ensuring that we utilise our own natural resources to develop our countries and economies. So, this is very important for us as a country. It is a lesson learnt. Indeed, that is what we are doing as Zambians. We should enhance these points and depend on our own natural resources for economic development. So, I am very happy about this point.

Madam Speaker, let me emphasise that now is the time to learn from Ghana. Through the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, we need to move at a supersonic speed as a country. We should see actual mining starting and we should support the youths in mining activities so that we start realising the much-needed revenue to develop our country.

Madam Speaker, the President also talked about democracy. He said that sometimes we feel democracy is not supporting development in our countries, but that it is very good. It helps develop a country if well managed. This year, in August, the country will hold elections. We will have different ideas on the battlefield, but after that, we will need to change the narrative. After elections, we all need to focus on development. As political players, if we do not agree on certain issues, let us meet at the roundtable rather than dispute what is good for our people. If we dispute and fight for no reason, we will not see any development in our country. Democracy is very good, but after elections, we all need to put our heads together and see how we can implement programmes that can benefit our people.

Madam Speaker, that is my contribution to the debate on the speech, which is very important and rich. It is a wake-up call that if we all work together, we can develop our country.

Madam Speaker, having said this, I support the Motion.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Thank you.

Mr B. Mpundu (Nkana): It is time.

Laughter

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1640 hours until 1700 hours.

[MR SECOND DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair]

Mr B. Mpundu (Nkana): Mr Speaker, thank you very much for this opportunity. I want to endeavour to speak as slowly as I can, because I have noted that I am often misunderstood. The last time we had a conversation around this subject, the longest serving hon. Member of Parliament, who wants to be here for thirty years, ba Jack Mwiimbu, almost took an opportunity to slander me.

Mr Speaker, last week, President John Dramani Mahama addressed this House. He emphasised the beautiful relationship that has existed between Ghana and Zambia. He stressed that it is our responsibility, this generation’s responsibility – I do not know if ba Jack Mwiimbu is in that generation –

Mr Mwene: Question!

Mr B. Mpundu: It is the responsibility of this generation to translate our two countries’ solidarity and political will into concrete economic and social dividends for our people.

Mr Speaker, further, he remarked that our two forefathers, Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Kwame Nkrumah, secured independence for our two countries. It, therefore, remains our role – meaning this generation’s role – to fight for economic transformation and prosperity for our people. In his statement, President Mahama also remarked that geopolitics has shifted. The aid we are receiving from economic giants is shrinking. Recently, the Ambassador of the United States of America (USA) to Zambia remarked that the USA will no longer give aid –

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Order!

 May you debate the President’s Address. Just concentrate on the address. Knowing you, you might start talking about other things.

Laughter

Mr B. Mpundu: Mr Speaker, –

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: May you proceed.

Mr B. Mpundu: Mr Speaker, President Mahama emphasised the need for Africa to stop depending on aid. Time has come for Africa to look to itself for its own survival. He emphasised the need for Africa to exploit its own resources for its own survival. He, in fact, stated that Ghana has chosen execution over excuses. This implies that, as a country, we cannot continue giving excuses. Our friends in the Executive cannot continue placing blame on those who ruled this country before them. It is time for them to begin finding solutions, relying on the abundance of minerals that God has blessed us with. That is what President Mahama emphasised.

Mr Speaker, President Mahama stressed that Ghana has taken advantage of its own minerals. Remember, Ghana and Zambia rely heavily on their mineral endowments. Just like Ghana, Zambia, today, faces one problem that Ghana was confronted with many years ago; illegal gold mining. When you go to Ghana, you will find miners called galamsey, which is a famous term for illegal gold miners. Just last year, in April, Ghana passed a law that established the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), which now oversees the trade and management of gold resources. We can draw lessons from that because we are not an island. We now live in a global village where we can learn best practices. What we draw as a lesson from Ghana is that our friends were confronted with a similar problem that we have now. Never did the Ghanaian leadership open fire on its citizens. Interestingly, today, ba Jack Mwiimbu sent officers to go and open fire –

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member, resume your seat.

Hon. Members, why do you like veering off the subject? Let us ensure that our debate is factual. I know we seek public attention …

Laughter

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: … but, you know, it is better to be factual.

Hon. Member, you are saying that people were fired at. That is not good. I think, I have guided you several times before. So, confine your debate just to the President’s Address. Avoid veering off the subject because the next thing that will happen is that I will curtail you. 

You may proceed, hon. Member.

Mr B. Mpundu: Mr Speaker, the President of Ghana stressed how Ghana has dealt with the problem of illegal gold mining. We have a similar problem. Soldiers were sent to go and help manage illegal miners in Ghana, but their mission was confined to providing security. The biggest issue now in Ghana is that all the locals who were referred to as illegal miners have now been drafted into a mining programmme. All the locals are the ones actually mining, and every gold sale is restricted and has to go through the board in charge of gold in the country. The lesson we draw from that is that we have a similar problem. Our Army Commander has been deployed to go and help curb illegal mining in areas where gold has been discovered.

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Was that part of his speech?

Mr B. Mpundu: Eyee!

Hon. Opposition Members: Mmm!

Mr B. Mpundu: Mr Speaker, …

 

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Restrict your debate to the speech. Was he talking about the commandant or the commander?

Mr B. Mpundu: What is a debate ba Speaker, naimwe?

Interruptions

Mr B. Mpundu: Ba Speaker, what is a debate?

You refer. That is –

This is a debate ba Speaker.

Mr Second Debate Speaker: May you take your seat.

Mr B. Mpundu: Mulefwaya tulelanda ifyo mulefwaya ukulanda?

Hon. UPND Members: Ah!

Mr Mpundu (waved the paper): This is the speech.

Interruptions

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Ah!

May you take your seat, hon. Member.

Mr B. Mpundu resumed his seat

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: You know, let us avoid being excited …

Mr B. Mpundu: No!

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: … by  trying to use the situation that is prevailing in Ghana. Zambia is not Gahana, and Ghana is not Zambia. We have got our own parameters that we use to arrest our own situations. So, you cannot exactly use what Ghana used. As much as we live in a global village, our situation or stadia is different from that of Ghana.

Hon. UPND Members: Yes!

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: We will immediately implement what we deem fit, as Zambians.

Mr B. Mpundu interjected.

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member, what is your problem? Avoid talking back at me. It is not good. That language you are using is not the official Zambian  language. You know it yourself.

You may proceed as guided.

Mr B. Mpundu: Mr Speaker, the President of Ghana emphasised the  importance of  separation of power in the Arms of the Government. This means that the Executive must be independent of the Judiciary as well as the Legislature. The system that exists in Ghana is the system that exist even here in this country.

Mr Speaker, we desire that the three Arms of Government should operate independently and we draw lessons from the emphasis that the President of Ghana made.  He remarked in his address as stated by Barack Obama that, “Africa does not need strongmen. Africa needs strong institutions.” Not only do we need strong institutions, also we need a complete separation of these three Arms of Government.

Mr Speaker, it is completely unforgiveable for, as an example, a Presiding Officer to dance to celebrate a Bill …

Hon. Government Members: Ah!

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Order!

Hon. Member, may you take your seat.

Mr B. Mpundu resumed his seat.

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: What kind of human being are you?

Laughter

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Ah!

Mr B. Mpundu: You cannot say that.

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: No, no, no!

Mr B. Mpundu: You are a Presiding Officer. You cannot say that.

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: I will end up suspending you for days if you continue.

Mr Munsanje: Send him out.

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: No, sending him out will not be enough, but I think he needs a holiday.

Mr Amutike: Hear, hear!

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: He is not a first offender …

Mr Amutike: No!

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: … having been in the House for a long time, he knows that two weeks will not be enough to rest, maybe a month.

Let us behave responsibly.

Rev. Katuta (Chienge): Mr Speaker, I would like to thank you so much for the opportunity.

Mr Speaker, after listening to the wisdom of the President of Ghana, I thought that I should today contribute to this debate and applaud the relationship between Zambia and Ghana. I believe the President came here to strengthen the bond? that exists between the two countries.

Mr Speaker, I would like to talk about the gold that is being mined in Ghana. I was so impressed when the President spoke about mining 63 tonnes to 104 tonnes in a space of ten months, which has earned Ghana over US$10 billion in foreign exchangeSo, I thought this is a good benchmark which Zambians should learn from. We have gold, but we are wallowing in debt and poverty. So, in order to uplift the lives of the people of Zambia, we should take the route which our colleagues have taken where there is also value addition to what they are producing in Ghana instead of sending raw gold outside their country. We should also encourage the indigenous people to be miners of the precious stone. I, therefore, believe that we have learnt something, as a nation, because we are also in the same situation. I believe that soon, only Zambians will be allowed to mine gold and so,  the Government should find a market for the miners just like the way our colleagues in Ghana have done.

 

Mr Speaker, I would like to also talk about empowering women.

Madam Speaker, the President of Ghana has made a name for himself and the country when it comes to  empowering women. When we look at what that country has  done to empower women and encourage them  to not stop going to school, we see that one of the things that that country has been doing is  supplying sanitary pads to school-going girls while in Zambia, we only did that for a just a year.We failed to continue with that programme. While we expect more young ladies to stay in school, especially in rural areas, it becomes very difficult for young ladies to continue with their education if they are not being  provided with sanitary pads.

Mr Speaker, the President spoke about free education up to tertiary level. Therefore, I want to talk about this because this is my heartbeat.

Mr Speaker, we are offering free education in Zambia, and this is a good thing. However,  we are only giving it to those who are going to Government schools. We have not pushed for free education up to tertiary level knowing very well that our universities cannot absorb all students who are supposed to be in Government universities. Regardless of the income and families they come from, some of the students _

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Sorry, I did not hear you very well. Do you want the Government to be providing free education to private schools?

 

Rev. Katuta: Mr Speaker, I said that  in Zambia, we have free education, which is a good thing, but free education is only provided for those who go to Government schools yet it is meant for all Zambians.

Mr Amutike: How?

Rev. Katuta: Mr Speaker, what I am trying to say is that some Zambians have failed to get into Government tertiary level of education while Ghana has given its citizens free education up to tertiary level. In our country, we are unable to do that. Since this was like a benchmarking kind of visitation, we can copy from Ghana, especially that most of our students cannot be absorbed in Government universities. Instead, they are forced to be in private schools which some  cannot even afford. So, the Government should extend free education to Government universities and also give grants to private universities …

Mr Munsanje: How can you do that?

Rev. Katuta: … because free education is meant for anyone who is called a Zambian.

Mr Speaker, in primary schools, it is the same situation. Children would want to go to Government schools, but Government schools are overwhelmed. They over- enrol. Some parents in townships take their children to private schools. In order for every child to access education, the Government should extend grants to private schools not because parents want their children to be in private schools, but because we do not have enough infrastructure.

Mr Speaker, when I look at our country, I see that we are talking about empowering women and improving their  participation …

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Order!

Are you still debating the President’s Speech?

Laughter

Rev. Katuta: Mr Speaker, he spoke about how he has empowered women in Ghana and how he is aiming to have not less 30 per cent women in decision making positions. So, this is what I am trying to drive at so that we can also copy from Ghana.

Mr Speaker, I believe that his coming here was a benchmarking visit aimed at strengthening the ties. It is not only strengthening the ties, but also the governance system.  He spoke about how his country is aiming to have not less than 30 per cent of women in decision-making positions in the corporate world and everywhere else. Further, the Ghanaian Government has ensured that women-led enterprises easily access loans from banks. That is what we are lacking in our country. We also expect our country to start doing that if, indeed, we are meant to empower women. Any woman-led household should be able to access loans. If you look at the kind of interest that is charged on Zambian loans, you will see that most women do not even have – Mwita shani filya batwala ku bank?

Mr B. Mpundu: Collateral!

Rev. Katuta: Collateral, thank you.

Mr Speaker, women cannot even afford collateral because they are very poor. If we empower women by making it easier for them to access loans, not only talking about women coming to Parliament but real empowerment, many millionaires can be created.

Mr Speaker, my last point is on the independence of Government institutions. Strong institutions like Parliament need to operate independently because they are the voice of the people of Zambia. So, we should learn from what the President said. He even said that he is used to this kind of thing. That means he knows how Parliaments operate and he understands how parliamentarians behave when they are in Parliament.

Mr Speaker, he talked about strong institutions such as the Judiciary, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC).

 Mr Speaker, I hope the Government of the day has learnt something about how colleagues of other Governments are ensuring that they have strong institutions.

I thank you, Mr Speaker. 

Dr Kalila (Lukulu East): Mr Speaker, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to render an opinion on the Motion of Thanks on the Special Address presented by President John Dramani Mahama to this august House on 5^th February, 2026.

Mr Speaker, I would like to quote the second and third paragraphs of his address, which I now quote:

 “This visit reaffirms the enduring bonds of friendship and solidarity between Ghana and Zambia ­ bonds forged during the historic struggle for Africa’s political emancipation under the visionary leadership of our founding fathers, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Dr Kenneth David Kaunda. Their shared pan-African conviction, sacrifice and courage laid the foundation upon which our two nations and, indeed, our continent continue to build.

“Ghana’s historic support for Zambia’s liberation struggle is well documented and generations of Zambian freedom fighters were shaped by the Pan-African ideals nurtured at institutions such as the Kwame Nkrumah Ideological Institute in Winneba. Today, our friendship remains rooted in mutual respect, shared democratic values and a common aspiration for peace, development and African dignity.”

 Mr Speaker, President John Dramani Mahama came to Zambia on invitation from his counterpart, President Hakainde Hichilema. Contrary to what my hon. Colleagues have said, he did not come here on his own to lecture us on the various aspects that they have talked about. He was a special guest of the State. I would like to applaud the choice President Hakainde made in selecting Ghana, in particular, President John Dramani Mahama to visit this country.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kalila: Mr Speaker, please, bear in mind that it is only like minds that can attract. So, all those tenets that hon. Members have talked about, like the mining sector are known. In fact, eight memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed in various sectors of our economy to translate the visions of Dr Kenneth David Kaunda and Dr Kwame Nkrumah. Remember that Dr Kwame Nkrumah believed that total independence is meaningless without economic emancipation. He believed in that philosophy strongly, and because these two leaders gave birth to this independence, it is, therefore, still necessary to move to the next step of delivering prosperity to Africans. That is what President John Dramani Mahama and President Hakainde Hichilema are doing, as the House may have noted.

Mr Speaker, remember that Ghana traditionally played a very important role in Africa’s liberation. In fact, Dr Kenneth David Kaunda and Dr Kwame Nkrumah, apart from their philosophy of liberation, also gave cultural identities. I do not know how many hon. Members know that the toga or that piece of cloth that Dr Kenneth David Kaunda used to wear in the early days of Zambia liberation was a gift from Dr Kwame Nkrumah. Some hon. Members here, in this House, like Mr Saviour Chishimba, the former Member of Parliament for Kasama Central, used to wear something like that.

Mr Mwiimbu, SC.: Hear, hear!

Dr Kalila: Mr Speaker, so when President John Dramani Mahama arrived wearing another important traditional dress, the fugu, it meant that he was translating the cultural identity of Dr Kwame Nkrumah on the African continent. In fact, I recall that when we travelled for a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) meeting, I wanted to buy the fugu, but my hon. Colleague, Mr Sing’ombe, he is not here, in the House, asked me where I would be wear when I got back to Zambia.

Laughter

Dr Kalila: Mr Speaker, basically, what we are seeing is a cultural and economic renaissance in translating the vision of Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Dr Kenneth David Kaunda into economic emancipation. There is absolutely nothing strange and nothing to frown upon. What is there is to gain in translating these various visions.  Many others, including Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe, used to put on such things because of the influence of Dr Kwame Nkrumah. The visit was as it should be. It strengthened the bonds and ties that we have with Ghana. It also sought to take it further by delivering value and prosperity to Zambians. What is the point of being free if we are still under economic bondage? In any case, the two countries share great similarities.

Mr Speaker, we all inherited economies that were fractured at one point. They have been restructured under the Group of 20 (G20) Common Framework. Our exchange rates and economies are doing well. Growth is being achieved on both sides. We are both mining powerhouses. We are both discovering gold and learning from each other. So, shared learning is part and parcel of governance in translating Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s vision.

Mr Speaker, I would like to urge hon. Members to take it further. The President, together with his colleague, has set a tone, and it remains for all of us to catch that vision at various levels to ensure that we translate the strong bonds between Ghana and Zambia. Through the hon. Minister of Youth, Sport and Arts and his ministry, there should be organisation of friendly football matches against the Black Stars of Ghana, and local clubs like Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoka. Let us see delegations of hon. Members of our Parliament visiting our colleagues in the Ghanaian National Assembly. The hon. Minister of Information and Media is a very good football and volleyball player. Let us interact with our colleagues so that we can further this new, although not necessarily new but longstanding friendship, which is now undergoing a renaissance through our two great leaders.

Mr Speaker, the President has been on point, repeatedly saying that we need intra-African trade. We need homegrown solutions. We need ownership of our resources, and that is why those MoUs were signed.

 

Mr Speaker, lastly, I have always wondered why the Ghanaian International Airport is called Kotoka International Airport. I would have thought that to honour Dr Kwame Nkrumah further, whose status transcends the borders of Ghana, the airport should be renamed Kwame Nkrumah International Airport. I think that is my contribution to the debate as to why that airport continues to be called Kotoka International Airport. At the expense of meddling in internal affairs, I think Dr Kwame Nkrumah is beyond Ghana, and our colleagues need to do more to honour him by renaming that airport. 

Mr Speaker, I support this Motion. I also support the choice of President John Dramani Mahama by our President. We hope to see more of such visionaries to translate Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Dr Kenneth David Kaunda’s visions into economic participation for our people.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kapyanga (Mpika):  Mr Speaker, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to add the voice of the people of Mpika to this very important subject. Let me begin by thanking the Rt. Hon. Madam Speaker, for giving the visiting Head of State an opportunity to address the august House, where he projected his vision. I am sure, the reason he spoke to us was to help us here, in Zambia, to pick best practices and implement them for the betterment of our country and Africa at large.

Mr Speaker, in his speech, the President of Ghana spoke about how his Government is empowering women. To that effect, he has created the Women’s Development Bank. This is a very important institution, as its key role is to empower women who want to venture into various business sectors. How I wish this could be reciprocated even here so that we can have a bank dedicated to the empowerment of women and youths. We can also have a bank dedicated to the development of the agricultural sector, as we did in the past with Lima Bank. This would be a very important institution that would serve the farmers and give them loans, which they would use to procure farming inputs and equipment, and this can actually accelerate the development of the agricultural sector.

 Mr Speaker, like others have said, the President talked about how they formalised illegal mining, particularly of gold, in their country. Similarly, we have a challenge with people mining without licences. In Ghana, the people with licences have access to financing and safer technology. It is not enough to just issue mining licences to people without them having the necessary equipment to enable them to properly mine and process the gold. Further, in Ghana, for instance, miners sell to the Government through the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod).

Mr Speaker, we have a challenge in Mpika. Most of the people who are supposed to benefit from their gold are not benefiting because they have not been sufficiently given mining licences.  Acquiring a mining licence in our country is way too expensive for ordinary citizens, such as those in Mpika. They have to travel from Mpika to Lusaka to acquire a mining licence from the Mining Cadastre Department under the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development. The costs associated with their travelling and lodging can be reduced if the Government decided to decentralise the artisanal mining licensing system. If the council had the equipment that would enable it issue artisanal mining licences, it would be very easy for the people in Mukungule, Kasenga, and Nabwalya to go to Mpika Town and acquire artisanal mining licences. It is not that our people do not want to acquire those licences. The hindrance is the cost associated with their travel and lodging in acquiring them. If the Government went a step further and dealt with those salient issues, even here, artisanal miners can be fully formalised, as is the case in Ghana, as stated by the visiting Head of State.

Mr Speaker, the President also talked about the importance of fighting for our economic independence. He mentioned that our forefathers fought for political independence and, now, we have a responsibility to fight for economic independence. True to that, we need to use our resources wisely. This issue of investors is not helping us. Many years have passed, but we still depend on investors, and what we get from our own resources is very little. We have minerals all over, and when they are mined, the profits that are made are externalised. That starves our Treasury the much-needed resources for development, the more reason we are usually left with no option but to incur a lot of debts, as it were.

Mr Speaker, the Government must take a keen interest in, and own stakes in some mining companies. It should also have minerals that it can control for the betterment of our country. The system of depending on investors has lamentably failed. We need to have a paradigm shift, in which our own Government has a stake in controlling our mining sector. Having control of the mining sector will give the Government the much-needed resources to construct roads such as the Mpika township roads, which are in a dilapidated state, and the Great North Road from Serenje to Chinsali, extending all the way to the Safwa Pontoon. When the Government has money, it will invest in infrastructure development. Currently, we depend on taxes. The investors have to pay taxes only.

Mr Speaker, when you read the Amnesty International Report of 2023, you will see that every year we lose US$4.5 billion to corporate tax evasion, more especially in the mining sector. That is unprecedented, and it must be addressed. If we are losing such huge sums of money to tax corporate evasion, the Government has to seal the loopholes and own some stakes in the minerals, particularly gold. We now know that we have gold. The Government must have a stake in gold mining. Should we also leave gold mining to foreigners? No, the mining of gold must be restricted to our people and the Government itself. We cannot continue on the same trajectory of leaving everything to investors. At the end of the day, they are not even investors, but infesters of our economy, and that must be addressed.

Mr Speaker, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to debate uninterrupted.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Munsanje (Mbabala): Mr Speaker, thank you so much for giving the good people of Mbabala an opportunity to share a message of thanks on the excellent speech and presentation by President Mahama. I wish to also thank Hon. Madam Speaker for inviting President Mahama to address this august House.

Mr Speaker, His Excellency emphasised the historical relationship between Zambia and Ghana, which we are all aware of. He also talked about deepening political friendship and economic partnership that must translate historic solidarity and political goodwill into concrete economic and social dividends for our people, from political independence to economic independence. I think that the trajectory of Ghana is similar to that of Zambia, regarding how our democracies have developed since attaining independence. We have learnt from each other. Ghana attained independence and became a democracy. Shortly afterwards, Zambia attained Independence and we had the Third Republic.

Mr Speaker, recently, both countries have had the same economic development programmes, and the programmes have shown similar results in both countries. There has been growth locally, and many jobs have been created both in Ghana and here, through the New Dawn Government, ably led by His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema. There has been a drop in inflation rates in both countries. The inflation rate in Ghana has decreased from 24 per cent to 3.6 per cent. In Zambia, the inflation rate has decreased from 24 per cent to 9.4 per cent. Both countries have single-digit inflation rates. Their international reserves are also good, and both countries have the best-performing currencies. The Zambian Kwacha and the Ghanaian Cedi are the best-performing currencies. I was in Accra in December and saw this for myself. I have also seen continued goodwill between the two countries in economic diplomacy. The two countries have scrapped visa requirements so that they can strengthen development and partnership. This way, our citizens will be able to go to Ghana and Ghanaians will be able to come to Zambia.

Mr Speaker, having been taught by Ghanaian teachers during my secondary school days, it is elating to know that the two countries have continued on the trajectory of working together. Indeed, the choice of His Excellency President Mahama to visit Zambia is an excellent one. It shows the strategic and methodical nature of the work of the New Dawn Government of the United Party for National Development (UPND). His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema has continued to demonstrate that we are methodical in our relationships. Now, we are looking at economic co-operation with countries that will add value to our democracy and economic development. We will also add value to them. That is why His Excellency the President has been rated among the top five best Presidents in the world.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Munsanje: It is because of the methodical nature of his work, which is bearing fruit for this country.

Mr Speaker, President Mahama talked about re-setting Africa to ensure that we stop being dependent on others regarding issues of security and donor aid. He also talked about value addition for minerals. Following the withdrawal of donor support in the health sector, our Government immediately stepped up and took over the supply of essential drugs and related services to ensure that our health sector continued to perform, and that is what we need. We need to continue integration through the African Medicines Agency (AMA) in order for Africa to become strong and provide healthcare for our people. We can only get economic dividends from our booming young population if we have healthy youths who are skilled, productive and educated, as President Mahama ably indicated. That is what Ghana and Zambia are aiming for. I want to continue seeing the two countries pushing these issues.

Mr Speaker, the President also talked about good governance, leadership and strengthening institutions, not having strong individuals. In Zambia, for the first time, under the UPND’s New Dawn Government, we have strengthened the Office of the Public Protector. For the first time, the Office of the Public Protector is present in six provinces. There are good governance institutions working on maladministration and ensuring that citizens get value from the Government. We have seen an increase in the budget for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and other law enforcement agencies. For the first time, their budgets have been tripled. This is to ensure that these institutions deliver for the people of Zambia. Indeed, President Mahama was on point and we are on point. We are strengthening good governance institutions. Unfortunately, when such institutions follow some citizens, they start calling that persecution, yet the same citizens are calling for strengthening of the same institutions. When we strengthen these institutions, we are not persecuting anybody. The institutions are pursuing criminals. Criminals must be dealt with by strong institutions. More resources are being allocated for strong institutions so that they can pursue criminals who own seventy-nine vehicles. Imagine that kind of gloating. Seventy-nine vehicles were owned by one person. Surely, that is why somebody has written “bufontini”. That means being greedy or having insatiable appetite for property and many other things that do not help the country. So, we must continue strengthening our institutions and providing them resources.

Mr Speaker, on behalf of the people of Mbabala, Mang’unza, Mwanacheu, Kabanze, Mayoba and Mabwatubwa, I am very happy with the speech by President Mahama. I continue to see good in the speech. I hope that it will translate into joint development for the two countries, which are working together in many areas such as gender diversity, as he emphasised.

Mr Speaker, I support the Motion.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mtayachalo (Chama North): Mr Speaker, thank you for according me this rare opportunity to add my voice to the debate on a very important speech, which was delivered in this august House by President Mahama. I can describe the speech as quite brief and rich. In short, I can easily describe it as a watershed speech.

 

Mr Speaker, the history of Zambia and Ghana would be incomplete if we did not mention or salute the immense contribution of the two founding fathers of the two nations and Africa at large. The two leaders established a solid foundation of pan African solidarity. Today, Ghana and Zambia stand tall. Why are they standing tall? They stand tall because they stand on the shoulders of Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Dr Kenneth Kaunda. Since the time of the two leaders, the relationship between the two countries has grown from strength to strength, focused on trade, investment and the freedom of the people of both countries, as witnessed by the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoUs), especially on free visas. Zambians can easily visit Ghana without a visa and Ghanaians can also come to Zambia without a visa. I think that is a landmark achievement.

Mr Speaker, as regards governance and leadership, Africa today has challenges because we have not built strong and independent institutions of governance. President Mahama stated that Africa does not need strong men. Indeed, on 11^th July, 2009, President Obama addressed the Ghanaian Parliament in Accra and challenged Africa by saying that Africa does not need strong Presidents, but strong institutions of good governance. I think that this is what we as a country have missed. We want strong Presidents who can control the three arms of the Government, but that should not be the case at all. The Ghana experience should also motivate our country to ensure that we continue to strengthen State institutions of good governance, such as the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ),  Parliament and the Judiciary because that is the only way we are going to move forward.

Mr Speaker, it is clear that law enforcement agencies still have challenges. Why is it that they are only able to investigate leaders when they leave office? If these institutions were independent, they would investigate leaders even when they are still in office. So, in my view, that is a wake-up call for us, as a country and as hon. Members of Parliament, to continue to bring laws which strengthen these State institutions of good governance. We know that the Executive is very powerful, but if we have strong and autonomous State institutions of good governance, they will be able to provide effective checks and balances to the Government.

Mr Speaker, I also want our country to learn something from Ghana. Ghana operates a two-party system. This means that there are only two political parties which have dominated Ghana's politics since 1992. They just alternate. Today, it is the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and tomorrow, it is the National Democratic Congress (NDC), where President Mahama comes from. I have never come across a country which changes political parties like shirts. If this country still had the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) and the United National Independence Party (UNIP), I feel that it would not be where it is today.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Question!

 

Mr Mtayachalo: I feel that it is important for former political parties to alternate.

Mr Katakwe: Question!

Where is it written in the statement?

Mr Mtayachalo: That is how America has developed. That is how the United Kingdom (UK) has developed. They have not been changing political parties, but alternate because of the experience. Those countries have benefited immensely.

Mr Speaker, lastly, let me comment on the natural resources.

Mr Speaker, it is important that our country derives maximum economic benefits from our mineral wealth. For example, Ghana's gold sector earns the country more than US$10 billion. That is unprecedented. It is not only Ghana, but the entire African Continent, and it is doing very well in terms of gold mining.

Mr Speaker, since 2022, Burkina Faso has managed to generate than US$18 billion. Seventy per cent of the foreign exchange earnings for Burkina Faso come from the gold sub-sector. So, I believe that the State should take a leading role by increasing shareholding in the mining sector for this country to derive maximum economic benefits.

Mr Speaker, with those few words, I want to end my debate by stating that we need industrial revolution. Dr Kenneth Kaunda and UNIP built a very strong industrial base, but it was destroyed. So, as long as we do not come up with industries, fighting poverty or unemployment will still be a pipe dream. Dr Kaunda came up with the Ndola Copper Refinery. The reason was to add value to our minerals. Currently, copper is always being transported on our roads, going to Beira and Durban, destroying our roads when we can add value to it right here  in this country. Therefore, I hope that the visit by the Ghanaian President will open doors of economic opportunities for this country to achieve total economic independence.

With these few remarks, I support the Motion.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Ms Chonya (Kafue): Mr Speaker, I thank you so much.

I also want to add a few words to the debate to appreciate the speech delivered by His Excellency the President of Ghana, Dr John Mahama.

Mr Speaker, I was particularly excited to learn of his visit because in one of my previous debates, either in this House or in the Pan-African Parliament, I had called on my colleagues to learn some lessons from Ghana. So, when I heard that the President of Ghana was in our Parliament, I thought we needed to commend the Government for taking the initiative to facilitate His Excellency's visit so that we could share and compare a few notes.

Mr Speaker, the eight Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) that came out of this visit are an indication of Zambia's willingness to collaborate with its fellow African countries and trade as partners. The call has been that time has come for Africa to trade within itself before we can even look outside.

Mr Speaker, indeed, I was inspired by the speech because it reminded us of our obligation and responsibility to translate the historic solidarity and political goodwill into concrete economic and social dividends for our peoples. I am quoting from the speech. We were reminded that our forefathers won us Independence. Now, it was our duty to actually transform our economies and bring prosperity to our people. I thought that was a very good reminder for all of us who sit here as leaders to look into how we would really do some work for our people as opposed to giving lip service.

Mr Speaker, the economic transformation story of Ghana was very encouraging and I saw many commonalities with what is, indeed, happening in Zambia. I could only say, indeed, like attracts like because talk about the economic indicators; how the Ghanaian Cedi is faring well against the United States of America Dollar, which is also the case in our Zambian situation. Inflation is under control. Indeed, we are moving together, and there is a lot that we can share with Ghana.

Mr Speaker, the President also reminded us about the importance of harnessing the demographic dividends. This has been a call even from the African Union (AU) that we need to do a lot more, especially for our youths whom we acknowledge that they are still facing the challenge of unemployment. So, they need to be skilled so that they can, indeed, employ themselves in the scarcity of formal jobs, as this is the way to go for Africa.

 He reminded us about the AU of theme for 2025, which is something to do with justice and the liberation for African people. Indeed, the AU and the Pan-African Parliament spent a lot of time last year focusing on this. Ghana is calling for solidarity from Zambia to support the agenda when it actually takes this matter to the United Nations (UN) Security Council. So, as far as I am concerned, this is a noble cause that we should stand with Ghana, with which we have so much in common from the time of our struggles for Independence and even now as we are trying to carve an economic path for the two countries.

 

Mr Speaker, those are just a few remarks, that I thought I would recite from the speech, which, indeed, came at the right time to encourage us so that we can move side by side, as African countries, towards a common African agenda.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kafwaya (Lunte): Mr Speaker, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to make some comments in support of the Motion on the Floor of the House on the Special Address presented by His Excellency John Dramani Mahama.

Mr Speaker, the Ghanaian President spoke to us in clear terms. I would like to join Hon. Dr Kalila in appreciating the United Party for National Development (UPND) for the selection of the invitee.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kafwaya: To some extent, the hon. Member for Kafue also referred to that. Mr Speaker, that was a good choice of guest. What the President spoke about was clear. Sometimes, it is good to have people tell the truth.

Hon. PF Members: Yes!

Mr Kafwaya: Mr Speaker, the President, while speaking to us, said that leadership is foundational to the Accra Reset, and I could not agree with him more because if a situation will reset, leadership can only be foundational. Listen to what the President says, and I quote:

“In this reset agenda, we have chosen execution over excuses.”

Mr Speaker, only a leader like the Ghanaian President would reset the agenda and base it on leadership, and say that in a year that the Government has been in office, it has intervened in the gold trade to influence the trade in expanding the quantum from 64 tonnes to 104 tonnes, for example, giving Ghana over US$10 billion in foreign reserves. That was in ten months. Ghana amassed over US$10 billion in foreign reserves. Now, that is a reset. That is execution over excuses.

Mr Speaker, I like the part where the President said that even though that success was achieved in ten months, in one year, from end of 2024 to end of 2025, inflation reduced from 23.4 per cent to 5.4 per cent as well. One year is not two, …

Mr Nkandu: Question!

Mr Kafwaya: … three, four or even five years. It is twelve months.

Mr Nkandu: Question!

Mr Kafwaya: Inflation, Mr Speaker, has been reduced from 23.4 per cent to 5.4 per cent. That is commendable.

Mr Speaker, I am clear in saying that those are the addresses we must offer opportunities. , and when my hon. Colleague from Kafue, or was it somebody else, said that we should thank the Hon. Madam Speaker for allowing the President to speak here, in this House, I joined that view. If the Hon. Madam Speaker did not allow the President to speak in this Assembly, we would not be praising the President for telling us to end the parcelling of large concessions for speculation. Now, that is a reset. You cannot parcel concessions. Concessions, both in Ghana and Zambia, are bound. You cannot parcel them for speculation. You have to parcel meaningful concessions that not only benefit concessionaires, but also the indigenous people. I will not give an example. Both the Patriotic Front (PF) and the UPND know the current concessions. I will not give any example.

Mr Mposha: Why Patriotic Front (PF)?

Mr Nkandu: Which faction?

Mr Kafwaya: Mr Speaker, “encourage indigenous firms to participate in the extractive industry” the President who has done so said and, because of doing so, economic flows are already happening in his country. I would like to join him in that, and also urge us, in this country, to focus and promote the indigenous Zambians so that they can offer economic emancipation to their families and the nation.

Mr Speaker, the President said that infrastructure expansion and economic growth remain central to economic emancipation. We know from recent history that there was a time of infrastructure development in this country. The President of Ghana appreciated that, and he said that it is important to expand the infrastructure base for economic development, even in Ghana. You can imagine where would we have been if some of the infrastructure that we talk about was not expanded.

Mr Speaker, the good President also told us that no African country can survive in isolation, we must create regional prosperity platforms. I would like to encourage those with power to create these platforms.

Mr Mposha: We have these things!

Mr Kafwaya: Mr Speaker, integrity is important in the preparation of platforms that work and it makes you believable. As the President spoke to us, we found it easy to believe him because of what we perceive as integrity on his part. We must have objectivity, and ours must always be to serve the people who mandated us to do so. If we focus on them, it is easy for us to promote ideas that will help us expand platforms that work at regional and global bases, not for us or a few leaders, but for all the people we represent.

Mr Speaker, on unity, the good President said, and I heard him, that unity must be our strategy.

Dr. Kalila: On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Dr Kalila: Mr Speaker, I am not given to rising on points of order, but I am greatly troubled by one statement that has been made by my hon. Colleague, who is a friend of mine, to the effect that Ghana ended up with US$10 billion in foreign reserves. I think, there is a difference between foreign exchange (forex) inflows that Ghana earned and foreign reserves.

 

Mr Nkandu: Teach him!

Dr Kalila: Now, Mr Speaker, we cannot let this statement go unchallenged because it will actually imply that we, in the New Dawn Government, who have achieved US$5.2 billion in foreign reserves have been surpassed by a fallacious figure being given by my hon. Colleague.

Mr Nkandu: Quality!

Dr Kalila: So, it is necessary that we correct that, Mr Speaker.

Eng. Nzovu: He is a fake accountant!

Dr Kalila: Mr Speaker, I would like to know, therefore, whether the hon. Member is in order to go against Standing Order No. 71, which requires the need for factual and verifiable information to be given on the Floor of this House.

Eng. Nzovu: Send him out. He is a fake accountant.

Dr Kalila: Mr Speaker, I seek your serious ruling as to whether the hon. Member is on point in indicating that Ghana earned US$10 billion in foreign reserves when it was foreign inflows, as a result of the sale of gold?

Mr Amutike: Quality!

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member for Lunte, you have to be very factual.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: There is a distinction between sales and foreign reserves. What culminates into foreign reserves is a different issue. The sales are a different issue also. The Head of State spoke about the sales, which is different from our position. Zambia’s position on foreign reserves is consolidated. So, I think, we should ensure that we are factual and that whatever we say is verifiable.

So, the hon. Member is completely out of order.

 

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Completely!

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Completely out of order.

Laughter

Eng. Nzovu: Send him out!

M Second Deputy Speaker: Yes, yes.

Especially that it is a debate on an international issue, ahh, he is completely out of order.

Laughter

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Hon. Member for Lunte, you may proceed.

Mr Mubika: And correct the statement!

Mr Kafwaya: Mr Speaker, Ghana’s foreign reserves as at the end of December last year stood at US$13.8 billion. The US$10 billion I mentioned is even a smaller amount. Unity must be our strategy, not just our slogan. This is what a good President told us. Therefore, I would like to urge all of us here that unity in our own country ought to be a strategy, not just a slogan.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Chanda (Kanchibiya): Mr Speaker, thank you so much. Allow me to debate in support of the Motion of Thanks, and to commend the President of the Republic of Ghana for speaking to us as a family.

Mr Speaker, I know that there has been reference to the many issues and items that the President of the Republic of Ghana addressed, but allow me to comment on the quotation he made, in which he quoted the former President of the United States of America (USA), Mr Barack Obama, and the extent to which it has excited the body politic in this country. I am from the school of thought that context matters, and because it matters, we must be very clear and contextualise some of these statements and quotations.

 Mr Speaker, the assertion that Africa does not need strong men, but only strong institutions, is attractive in theory, but is very incomplete in practice. Institutions do not design, enforce or defend themselves. They are products of deliberate political will, often forged under strong, decisive leadership. History has shown us countries where institutions were weak or absent, and it took purposeful and disciplined leaders to build them.

Mr Speaker, even as we are lectured to by the West, we must also be very deliberate as Africans and agree that there is no uniform definition for democracy and that the continent of Africa needs more discipline than democracy, and I wish to place this on record. It takes purposeful and disciplined leaders to build strong institutions. If we look Eastward to countries such as Singapore, South Korea, and China, we see a consistent pattern. Strong leadership precedes strong institutions. Africa cannot celebrate weak leaders, and it must never pray for weak leaders, and neither must Zambia. Leaders like Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore did not undermine strong institutions, but he created and strengthened them. He strengthened the Civil Service, enforced the rule of law, and insulated governance from corruption and mediocrity. So, Africa’s challenge is not the presence of strong leaders. It is the absence of leaders whose strength is directed towards institution building and visionary leadership, and that is what we must be talking about. We cannot just celebrate weak leadership in the name of democracy because we know that weak leadership produces paralysis, capture and decay. So, strong leadership and strong institutions are not contradictory. They are complementary and sequential.

  Mr Speaker, even when the West says that Africa does not need strong leaders, but strong institutions, their prescription is not that Africa must celebrate weak leadership because we know that weak leadership leads to corruption. Weak leadership is void of meritocracy. Under weak leadership, service delivery is compromised, and sustaining the vision becomes a problem because, as the words of scripture say, “Where there is no vision, people cast off restraint.” So, in agreeing with the many issues that the President of Ghana spoke to, it is also important that as Africa or as Zambians, we remind ourselves, as we are lectured to by the West, that ours is not to embrace and celebrate weak leadership. As a matter of fact, and for purposes of repetition, it is my submission that Zambia and Africa as a whole need more discipline than democracy.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Katakwe (Solwezi East): Mr Speaker, thank you very much for giving the people of Solwezi East, Mushindamo District, a chance to add a voice on the Motion of Thanks on the National Address by His Excellency the President of Ghana, Mr John Mahama.

Mr Speaker, on behalf of the people of Solwezi East, I consider the President’s Speech as a smart one. A smart President visited a smart country, and was invited by a smart President to share smart ideas about governance, economic growth, and industrialisation, not forgetting the history of great Pan-Africanists like Mr Kwame Nkrumah, Mr Kenneth Kaunda, and many others who fostered economic emancipation.

Mr Speaker, in his Address, President Mahama talked about economic sovereignty, and urged African leaders to move beyond political will to secure genuine economic emancipation. He also addressed triple dependence, and three major things or traps for African nations were identified. The first is dependence on external actors for security, the second is dependence on donors for health and education, and the third is dependence on foreign suppliers for critical minerals, while capturing little value. I have noted that these issues that the President addressed have been on the table of our President, especially on reforms. There have been reforms in the energy, health and education sectors, and many other reforms. Indeed, these are smart ideas that the President addressed to this nation, and they are supported by his counterpart, the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema.

Mr Speaker, on democratic governance, the President stressed that Africa deserves transparent and accountable leadership, noting that abuse of public trust must be punished and institutions mandated to fight corruption must operate without favour. This is being demonstrated in the Republic of Zambia, led by His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema. We have seen this through asset recovery, meaning the institutions that are mandated to fight corruption are operating without favour.

Mr Speaker, in his address, the President also talked about regional integration, emphasising the need for a unified African voice on trade and climate finance. “Unity must be our strategy, not just our slogan”. These were the words of the President.

Mr Speaker, our President is on record many times talking about unity, love, peace and hard work. He has talked about more work and moving away from the dependence syndrome. Indeed, his is smart leadership.

Mr Speaker, in supporting this Motion of Thanks on behalf of the people of Solwezi East, I appreciate the President’s invitation of His Excellency President Mahama to this country so that he could share the wonderful vision and the things that Ghana has achieved. I am, indeed, thankful to the President, and I support this Motion.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

The Minister of Information and Media (Mr Mweetwa): Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to add my voice to the debate in support of the Motion that is before the Floor of the House.

Mr Speaker, let me begin by thanking His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema for a well-thought-out invitation of President Mahama to visit Zambia. In this regard, the President of Ghana addressed the National Assembly of Zambia. His speech was so insightful. It spoke about what is happening here in Zambia and what is happening in Ghana.

Mr Speaker, allow me to ventilate a few issues relating to that speech. Let me speak about the statements that have been made by some hon. Colleagues on your left. It is unfortunate that after debating, Hon. Mtayachalo has left the House. He made a very exciting, but hair-raising proposal in the Zambian political context. He holds the view that two political parties should be alternating power. Yes, I agree with him to the extent that one of the two political parties must be the United Party for National Development (UPND). This is because of its delivery record. It has a President who has walked the talk and is changing the economic fortunes of this country. He has taken this country from the doldrums of squalor, low balance of payments and failure to fulfil responsibilities regarding debt restructuring to where we are now; the Kwacha is one of the best performing currencies on the continent and our economy is soaring in the midst of a region where economies are facing challenges. So, I agree with the statement by Hon. Mtayachalo to the extent that he is referring to the UPND. As for the second political party, there is none this far. The previous political party that was in Government has a tainted legacy steeped in violence, gassing, corruption and divisive language. Therefore, the proposal by Hon. Mtayachalo cannot be sustained insofar as it relates to the previous Administration.

Mr Speaker, let me also respond to my Colleague, Hon. Kafwaya, who made the innuendo that the Ghanaian economy has performed far much better in terms of inflation, stating that its inflation rate has moved from about 24 per cent to about 5 per cent now. I would like to indicate that in 2011, the inflation rate in Zambia was not the same as in 2021. In 2011, US$1 was about K6.5. By 2021, we all know what it was. So, Hon. Kafwaya should be the last one to make such comparisons because his party is the one that brought us the quagmire and the malaise in this country. However, President Hakainde Hichilema is pulling us out of that situation. We must be mindful of the things we say when we are debating here on the Floor of the House. We must be factual.

Mr Speaker, I was also interested in the comments that the hon. Member for Mpika made, appreciating the empowerment programmes put in place and espoused by the President of Ghana. He is appreciating that which is happening in Ghana and refusing to appreciate what is happening in Mpika and Zambia as a whole. What type of politics is this? Here, in this country, we know that President Hakainde Hichilema and his New Dawn Administration and alliance partners have implemented programmes that have empowered women in a more meaningful way. The introduction of universal education, otherwise known as free education, allows women-headed households to send their children to school. That is empowerment. Through education, we give our children, regardless of social status, economic status or where they were born, an inheritance.

Mr Speaker, in this country, we know that the majority of the beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) Programme are women. During the just-ended season of disaster, we saw that women, especially those who were pregnant, were given preferential treatment. They were given cash under what is called the Emergency Social Cash Transfer Programme. That is empowerment for women. Under the leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema, we have seen marketeer booster loans distributed under the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC). We have also seen grants and loans given out under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) without discrimination. We have also seen youth empowerment programmes.

Mr Speaker, in this country, we also have an association for women in mining supported by the Government. We also know that in terms of the law, Article 173 and 259 recognise 50 per cent representation of women in critical decision-making positions so that women can sit at the table, where decisions are made, and decide their empowerment programmes, instead of other people making those decisions on their behalf. President Hakainde Hichilema and his Administration introduced the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill No. 7 of 2025, which has now become law, to empower women by bringing more of them into this House. This way, the Government or the President is not empowering them. Women are empowering themselves by coming here, where the national cake or the Budget is determined, so that they have a say in their future. I am surprised that the people who were opposed to the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill No. 7 of 2025 want to talk about women’s empowerment today. Real women’s empowerment does not reside in what women are given, such as money, resources or opportunity. It is in the ability to decide their fate. By coming to this House, they can determine their future through participation in governance and sharing of national resources. This is what President Hakainde Hichilema has brought to the table. From now on, the Government will not be doing favours for women. Women will be deciding for themselves because the law says so.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, thank you very much for allowing me to wind up the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the address by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana to this august House.

Mr Speaker, I gave my remarks on the delivery of the President’s Address and after listening to the debates from hon. Members of this august House, all I can say is thank you. This shows that there was a lot of clarity in the message that was delivered in the House. Indeed, there have been many comments on the President’s Address. The only thing I can say is that we are grateful that the President of the Republic of Ghana, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Zambia, accepted to come and address this august House.

Mr Speaker, there is so much to learn when one listens to somebody. Somebody here said that the two Presidents are like-minded. They are on the same trajectory. Yes, despite being on different levels of the economy, social path and political space, what I got from both sides of the House is appreciation of the speech. We may have different interpretations, but we all see that it is important. So, I believe that when the President spoke, it was for us to learn things from them, as a country, but not to compete. Sometimes, we want to view it is a competition. He did not come to compete. He came to give us what they are doing. I believe that he went away with his team, with the things we are doing, as a country. So, what are the good things? I think, that is what we carry.

Mr Speaker, the style may be different. For example, the last speaker spoke about empowerment, yet the other side spoke about empowerment like the way we are doing it is wrong. No, every environment has its own way. Ghana may have a bank for the empowering women, but the empowerment part of the Government under President Hakainde Hichilema has not been put together.  Our empowerment activities are in various programmes. Therefore, there is no realisation that the country’s Budget is a pro-poor budget. It is more of a social Budget for the term of the President's office.  So much has been done economically.

Mr Speaker, hon. Members spoke about the percentage of inflation, reserves and so on and so forth. The reserve itself has grown in Zambia. So, it is not about comparison. It is about how much we have done as a country.  We should be proud of that space. Indeed, the visit by the President of Ghana encouraged and inspired us in the sense that we are going in the right direction.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: We are going in the right direction.

Mr Speaker, if there is something we admire about Ghana, that is good, but let us also continue working. If there is something we can borrow or copy, that is fine, but hon. Members should not make comparisons that are not even based on facts, but on their own opinions. Zambia is doing well. However, we appreciate the relationship, historically and economically, that we want to enhance following the ten Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) that were signed. Citizens from both countries will be travelling between the two countries without a visa requirement. That shows business growth in this space.  The two countries will link into the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The signing of the MoU is part of it. Indeed, I also agree that it is not time for aid. Aid is a word we may have to do away with. It is time to grow ourselves internally, as a nation, regionally, in economic blocs and continentally.

Mr Speaker, the President brought out a lot, and no matter how hard hon. Members have spoken, they admit and appreciate what the President brought on the Floor of the House. They are meant to encourage us because we are moving forward and we will continue to do so. Zambia will not be the same.

 

Mr Speaker, I do not know how people can say that we are not doing well in gold mining, for example. This kind of gold is a recent discovery compared to our colleagues in Ghana. However, the way the Government has planned to deal with illegality must be appreciated. I am talking about the laws that the Government is putting in place because that is what will bring the real change. Even in that same area, there is empowerment. I do not know why people are talking about foreigners and locals. I thought the law is supposed to empower the people of Zambia through artisanal mining with the support of the Government.

Mr Speaker, hon. Members should wait because we need patience to see what the visionary leader is doing. The economic sector will not be the same. I appreciate that, indeed, the two leaders understand each other. So, the President of Ghana came and empowered us with knowledge and wisdom by addressing this august House.

Mr Speaker, I thank all hon. Members who have debated. They have done very well because they brought out something. Those who only listened have learned a little more from the speech. Further, the contributions to the debate on the speech that have been made have left us a little richer and given us a better understanding of our relationship with Ghana, which started when we were born under Kwame Nkrumah and Kenneth Kaunda (KK). The two countries come a long way.

Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing him space in this House.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Second Deputy Speaker: Thank you very much, Her Honour.

What you have said is true. If the Government is trying to institute measures to curb illegality, especially in the mining sector, hon. Members of Parliament are expected to support that because it attracts foreigners and different players. If the Government has instituted measures to ensure that it protects natural resources, it is expected of every hon. Member of Parliament to support it.

Question put and agreed to.

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MOTION

ADJOURNMENT

The Vice-President (Dr Nalumango): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

Question put and agreed to.

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The House adjourned at 1838 hours until 1430 hours on Wednesday, 11^th February, 2026.

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WRITTEN REPLY TO QUESTION

CONSTRUCTION OF NDEKE VILLAGE HEALTH CENTRE IN KAMFINSA

160. Mr Kang’ombe (Kamfinsa) asked the Minister of Health:

1. when the construction of Ndeke Village Health Centre in Kamfinsa Parliamentary Constituency will be completed;

1. what the cause of the delay in completing the project is;

1. at what percentage of completion the project was as of September, 2025; and

1. what the cost of the outstanding works is.

The Minister of Health (Mr Muchima): Madam Speaker, Ndeke Village Health Centre is earmarked for completion by the fourth quarter of 2026.

Madam Speaker, the cause of the delay is the limited fiscal space.

Madam Speaker, as of September, 2025, the project is estimated to be at 70 per cent.

Madam Speaker, the total cost of the outstanding works is approximately K2.5 million. In the 2026 Infrastructure Operational Plan, the Government has allocated K1 million towards the completion of the project. The Government is continuously mobilising resources to ensure the project is fully-completed to ensure the good people of Kamfinsa have a complete health centre.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.