05/06/2025
A nation mourns… and so do I.
President Edgar Chagwa Lungu was more than a leader — he was a symbol of resolve, humility, and a vision we must not let fade.
In his memory, we must ask ourselves: What kind of Zambia do we want to build from here?
My prayers are with his family and every Zambian soul touched by his legacy.
Let us carry forward the baton of unity, dignity, and progress.
🇿🇲
24/06/2023
The Debt Lives
By Ray Phiri
If you take a close look at our restructuring of Zambias debt, you will realize 2 things of utmost importance.
1. Pressure on debt repayment for the next 3 years has been reduced as we will have a grace period to only service interest payments. This eases pressure on foreign currency demand and will as a result create an illusion of a strengthening Kwacha, temporarily. Politically this will have benefits for the economy and upnd government as a whole as we head to 2026. Bally Ali na strategy.
But the bottom line is we have not been forgiven of the debt and the buck will fall due in the next term as well as future terms for whoever takes over after that.
2. The debt will always be due. However, we have not created any investment avenues or revenue avenues to actually clear this debt. Here in rubs the lie. Where will we get the money to repay, with the absence of the 8th national development plan which was due immediately after the first national budget in 2021 as emphasized in the budget statement. It's clear to see we still do not have policy direction or a tangible action plan to grow the economy industrially. These 2 issues need to be addressed before we find ourselves in another quagmire. To postpone the debt without a source of income for servicing is shooting ourselves in the foot by creating a cosmetic effect. Make up does not make a woman Beautiful, it simply creates the illusion of beauty. When we wipe off the make up we see the individual as they are. As it stands Zambia has a clever President, cunning and witty. But no investment plan
Yet again the west has found a way to maintain its hold on Zambia. The debt goes no where and so they can still use it to squeeze us. The demand for the dollar reduces temporarily for 3 years and makes things look good. But in the end the debt is still owed. Another 20 years meaning more interest payments and a longer duration to have it dangling above our heads.
Yet somehow our political circles have not caught on to this...
If you have not heard balanda ATI Bally wakulakfye.!
27/04/2022
Just after the President Hakainde Hichilema said his Ministers are acting on Cabinet Directives. Garry Nkombo forces Children to drink Kachasu. Mr President is this still acting on Cabinet Directives? Is Cabinet directing Ministers to commit illegal, immoral, inhumane and religiously wrong Acts. Ba Elder, Ba Master Guide.
31/03/2022
Dear President Hakainde Hichilema
Formalise illegal gold, emerald and copper miners (other minerals included). Hold auctions for their materials after processing through an SPV that can use youth cooperatives as small scale processing entities.
Just target 500 youth cooperatives situated in the areas where illegal panning is taking place.
Government opens accounts for the panners, issues them with Panning License not a mining license but a panning license. Renewable annually dependant on specific reviews.
Once Gvt has enough emeralds and gold to auction off. Government auctions off and takes 20% of the profits to setup import trade link via trucks to secure oil from neighbouring countries.
Processing our own fuels and cutting costs associated with importing from far flung areas will reduce the pump price.
If middle men exist, you begin to naturally wither them away with the new network, utilise more youth cooperatives to create a new crop of business men and women who get used to making normal profit margins have them execute a PPP agreement with Government for a period of years.
Use 30% of profits to begin financing a new oil pipeline to our neighbouring countries.
10% do what Zambia does best, dump forex on the market.
20% pump into agriculture
20% establish new industries focused on our local products that are consumed in Europe, South America, Asia and the Middle East. Export and get more forex.
We can either accept "Nonsense" and continue thinking that those who mine without Licenses are evil and vile and should be stopped and that the law cannot be changed. Or we can use our brains and solve the problems our people have.
After all before these so called British gvt systems, Africans used to mine minerals without Licenses...
Ray Phiri
Youth Statesman.!