2 YEARS IN POWER, WHAT NEXT FOR PRESIDENT HH ECONOMICALLY?
Issued: 14/09/2023
After clocking 2 years in power, President Hakainde Hichilema and the new dawn administration must focus on 3 economic priority areas for the next 3 years;
1. Increase government revenue through gold, sugilite, lithium and agriculture. (Search for our statement on declaring gold, sugilite and lithium as state assets). For the next 3 years, Government must raise and pump a minimum of $1.5 billion per year, $4.5 billion in 3 years, ‘new money’ into the economy.
2. Invest $2 billion directly in 20,000 Zambian startups to create 50,000 to 100,000 direct jobs in the private sector for the next 3 years. By year 2027 and beyond, the $2 billion local investment will grow to approximately $4.5 to 5 billion added to the Zambian economy.
3. Increase ease of doing business for the current 50,000 local small and medium businesses across all the sectors of the economy. The measure will increase local production (GNP) and raise people’s income to afford the high cost of living. This measure will translate into an additional 50,000 informal jobs approximately.
To put it simply, President HH and his government must raise more money from local resources and expand the local economy to create approximately 150,000 plus jobs in the private sector between 2024 and 2027.
This economic proposal is economically transformative and disrupts the current stagnant, traditional economic order. The question is: “Is president Hichilema and his government capable?”
Silavwe Jackson
President
GPZ.