HH TO LAUNCH UPND MANIFESTO AHEAD OF 2026 GENERAL ELECTION
President Hakainde Hichilema is tomorrow expected to launch the UPND Manifesto for the 2026 General Election, setting out the ruling party’s vision, priorities and development agenda for a renewed mandate.
The launch will take place at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka and is expected to outline the party’s plans for accelerating economic growth, creating jobs and improving the livelihoods of Zambians over the next five years.
State House Chief Communication Specialist Clayson Hamasaka said the manifesto is anchored on the belief that Zambia has successfully moved beyond the economic recovery phase and is now positioned to accelerate national development and prosperity.
Mr. Hamasaka stated that the document builds on achievements recorded since the UPND assumed office in 2021, including the restoration of free education, implementation of economic reforms and completion of a landmark debt restructuring programme.
He noted that the Government inherited an economy facing significant challenges but has since restored confidence among international partners, stabilized key economic indicators and reduced inflation from 24.6 percent in 2021 to 6.6 percent.
According to Mr. Hamasaka, the free education policy has enabled more than 2.6 million children to access education, while over 42,000 teachers have been recruited to strengthen the education sector.
He added that President Hichilema recently signed the Free Education Act into law, making access to education a protected legal right.
Mr. Hamasaka also highlighted reforms under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), particularly the nationwide rollout of the electronic voucher system, which has eliminated ghost beneficiaries and expanded support to more than 200,000 additional farmers.
The reforms have contributed to a projected maize harvest of nearly five million tonnes.
He further cited the expansion of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) as a key achievement and said the manifesto will outline ambitious targets, including increasing electricity generation to 10,000 megawatts, raising annual copper production towards three million tonnes and expanding maize production to 10 million tonnes.