BRIEFING | IMF signals continued support as Chinese envoy meets Hichilema in Lusaka
The International Monetary Fund has congratulated President-elect Hakainde Hichilema on his re-election, with Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva assuring him of the Fund’s continued commitment to Zambia.
Georgieva said the IMF remained “unequivocally committed” to supporting Zambia’s development agenda and looked forward to working closely with Hichilema and his administration to strengthen engagement and pursue the shared objective of building a prosperous Zambia.
The message comes as Hichilema continues receiving diplomatic engagements ahead of his second-term inauguration.
On Wednesday afternoon, Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Han Jing visited him at Community House in Lusaka.
“This afternoon, we received a courtesy call from the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Zambia, His Excellency Han Jing,” Hichilema said in a statement on his official Facebook page.
“We exchanged views on a range of matters concerning the longstanding bilateral relations between our two countries.”
China and the IMF occupy different but important positions in Zambia’s economic affairs. Beijing remains a major bilateral partner and creditor, while the IMF has played a central role in Zambia’s economic reform and debt-restructuring programme.
The engagements therefore offer an early glimpse of the external relationships likely to remain important during Hichilema’s second term.
With the election concluded, attention is increasingly moving from the campaign to the economy, investment, debt management and the government’s next policy programme.
– The People’s Brief | Francine Lilu