WHY WE ARE COMING BACK – RESERVES IN THE BANK. PRESSURE IN THE HOME-PF PAMODZI ALLIANCE

WHY WE ARE COMING BACK – RESERVES IN THE BANK. PRESSURE IN THE HOME.

Fellow Zambians,

There is one question that now defines our national moment: How can the economy be “improving” on paper, while life is becoming harder in the home? We are told reserves are strong. We are told debt has been restructured. We are told the economy is stable. And those numbers may be true in the books. But Zambia is not lived in books.

Zambia is lived in homes. In homes where: mealie meal is still expensive, fuel is still a struggle, transport is still heavy on families, businesses are still closing, and young people are still searching for jobs that do not exist. This, Zambia, is the real economy. For years, Zambians have also been told: “PF borrowed too much.” Yes, Zambia borrowed. But citizens are now asking a fair question: What did the borrowing build—and why is life still under pressure? Because development must be visible to the people who live in it.

Between 2011 and 2021, Zambia experienced major infrastructure development: roads were built, bridges were constructed, airports were modernised, universities were opened, hospitals and clinics were expanded, schools were built across provinces. Citizens can see these things with their own eyes. A farmer knows it. A trader knows it. A mother knows it. A student knows it. Development must not only exist in reports—it must exist in reality.

Today, we are told national reserves stand at over US$6.47 billion. That is a strong number. But fellow citizens, reserves alone do not feed families. So the real question remains: If debt has continued rising in recent years, if billions more have been added to national obligations, then where is the visible transformation in the daily life of ordinary Zambians? Where are the jobs? Where is the relief in the cost of living? Where are the new industries? Where is the hope in the household? Because statistics do not cook nshima. Press releases do not pay rent. Economic charts do not raise children. Only real outcomes do.

This is why we are coming back. Not because politics is easy. Not because we have all the answers. Not because we seek power for its own sake. We are coming back because Zambia must close the gap between national numbers and human life. We are coming back because a country cannot be considered successful when its people are still struggling to survive. And let it be clearly understood: We are not asking for blind trust. We are asking for accountability. Measure us. Measure us in your homes. Measure us in your markets. Measure us in your villages. Measure us in your workplaces.

Measure us in your daily struggle and your daily hope. Measure us by the number of Zambians empowered and not foreign capital only empowered. And if we fail, let the people decide.  Let the people speak. Let the people correct us.  Let the people hold us accountable. And if necessary, let the people recall us.

We will not resist that judgment.  Because power belongs to the people—not politicians. We are not coming to occupy office. We are coming to restore balance between the economy and the citizen. We are coming to restore dignity where there is pressure. We are coming to restore opportunity where there is frustration. We are coming to restore hope where there is fatigue. This is not a campaign slogan.

It is a national commitment. And to those who have observed Zambia in 2026 and may return again: They should not find the same country standing still. They should find a Zambia that has moved. A Zambia that has changed.

A Zambia that is working again. And if that is not yet true, then all leaders—past, present, and future—must have the courage to keep pushing for better. Because Zambia must change. And Zambia will change. Not through slogans. Not through fear. Not through propaganda. But through accountability, discipline, and leadership that answers to the people.

Ephraim Shakafuswa
Chairperson Information & Publicity
PF PAMODZI ALLIANCE