ARVs not being paid for by other tax payers outside Africa is a wake up call to Zambia and Africa- HH

ARVs not being paid for is a wake up call, we needed the slap – Hichilema

PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema says ARVs not being paid for by other tax payers outside Africa is a wake up call to Zambia and Africa at large.

President Hichilema stated that the continent needed to be slapped not on one cheek but on both.

He said the shrinked developmental assistance from outside the continent shows that Africa had been doing things wrongly for many years, waiting for others to do things for it.

“Yes we can complain about ARVs not being paid for by other tax payers outside Africa. Yes we can complain about development assistance shrinking. I actually think that this is a wake up call to Africa that we have been doing things wrongly for too many years, waiting for someone to do things for us, we must do those things ourselves.”

“Let’s flip our coin, there’s an opportunity in that. It’s an opportunity, a great one for that matter,” stated the President as he officiated at the Inaugural African Continental Free Trade Area Digital Forum in Lusaka, today.

He said Africa must pay attention to the opportunity which tax payers from outside the continent have presented to it.

“We must pay attention to the opportunity. Why are we confident that African countries trade the least with it-selves? Why are we buying wheat from continents outside of Africa when Africa has land to use one hectare to produce? Why is it like that Zambians like saying we don’t like GMOs when at breakfast they eat cornflakes which are GMOs?”

“Africa needed not one slap but two slaps on both cheeks. There’s a lot we can do. Nigeria, South Africa and Ethiopia are doing a lot,” he explained.

This morning, the US announced that they would slash K1.4 billion in aid to Zambia’s health sector due to government’s failure to stop the theft of critical medicines such as ARVs, malaria and TB drugs.

By Catherine Pule

Kalemba