CAMPAIGN SLOGANS – APITILIZE A REPLICA OF ALEBWELELAPO, LET HIM CONTINUE

Apitilize with high cost of living.

Apitilize with high fuel prices.

Apitilize with arresting opposition.

Apitilize with appointing his relatives as heads of parastatals.

Apitilize with his two-tier justice system.

Apitilize with unprecedented corruption.

Vote wisely in 2026.

1.Apitilize na free education
2.Apitilize na good CDF
3.Apitilize na more good policies.
4.Apitilize kuti benangu bavela mutima kuyipa.
5. Apitilize kusogolela .

Wining is obviously upnd government is going through

I will just talk about fuel prices in Africa where Zambia belongs. Some people remain jealous, bitter and negative on anything the government does. But I want to mention it here that people should learn to argue with data because without data, you are making your argument weak and baseless. For example, if you argue that the fuel prices in Zambia, where are you basing your argument? Is it not just from blues? So allow me to give some data for the sake of those who argue baselessly. I wanted to narrow it to 5 but I will extend to 10. Below are the Top 10 African countries with lowest fuel prices in December 2024 and January, 2025.
Libya sits top with $0.031 (N47.335) per litre, while Nigeria are 7th with $0.768 (N1184.830) per litre.

Countries with advanced refining infrastructure can process crude oil locally, cutting costs associated with importing refined products.

The average price of petrol around the world came in at 1.24 U.S. Dollars per litre for December, slightly lower than the 1.25 U.S. per litre reported last month.

Below are the ten African countries where fuel remains most affordable as of 16th of December 2024.

1. Libya – $0.031 (N47.335) per litre

Libya is one of the largest oil producers in Africa, with significant domestic oil reserves. The country is heavily subsidised by its government, which helps maintain low fuel prices for consumers.

2. Angola – $0.329 (N507.160) per litre. Angola is Africa’s second-largest oil producer. Despite being an oil-rich country, Angola’s government heavily subsidizes fuel, contributing to its low prices. However, these subsidies also strain the national budget. Angola’s economy is heavily dependent on oil exports, and fluctuations in global oil prices can have a significant impact. The country also faces challenges like inflation and a lack of economic diversification.

3. Egypt – $0.335 (N516.190) per litre. Egypt’s fuel prices are subsidized by the government, though there have been recent efforts to reduce these subsidies in an attempt to improve the country’s fiscal position. Still, fuel prices remain relatively low compared to many African nations.

4.Algeria – $0.343 (N529.710) per litre. Algeria is a major oil and gas producer in Africa. The government heavily subsidizes fuel prices to ensure affordability for its citizens, making fuel one of the cheapest in the region.

5. Sudan – $0.700 (N1079.699) per litre. Sudan has large oil reserves, and the government traditionally subsidises fuel prices to ensure accessibility. However, the country’s fuel market faces challenges due to economic sanctions, political instability, and fluctuating oil production levels. Sudan’s economic struggles, including hyperinflation and international sanctions, impact its ability to maintain fuel subsidies. The country has also faced challenges in sustaining oil production due to the loss of oil-producing areas following the secession of South Sudan.

6. Ethiopia – $0.718 (N1108.167) per litre. Ethiopia’s fuel prices are kept relatively low by government subsidies, though the country imports a significant portion of its oil. Ethiopia’s government seeks to support affordable energy prices for its rapidly growing population.

7. Nigeria – $0.768 (N1184.830) per litre. Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, has significant reserves and oil exports. The government historically subsidizes fuel prices to ensure affordability. However, these subsidies have been a subject of economic debate, particularly due to their impact on the national budget.

8. Tunisia – $0.796 (N1227.760) per litre. Tunisia’s government subsidizes fuel, keeping prices low for consumers. Tunisia imports much of its oil, but subsidies help offset the costs, making fuel more affordable than in many neighbouring countries.

9. Liberia – $0.857 (N1322.414) per litre. Liberia benefits from fuel imports at relatively low international costs and some government subsidies. The fuel sector is largely controlled by private companies, but prices remain among the lowest in the region due to minimal taxes and import duties.

10. Gabon – $0.952 (N1468.714) per litre. Gabon is an oil-producing country, with significant petroleum exports. The government provides subsidies to keep fuel prices lower than many other countries in Africa, helping to support the national budgets.

Then below are the 10 African countries with the highest fuel prices at the start of 2025:
Rank Country Fuel price
1 C. Afr. Rep $1.718
2 Senegal $1.546
3 Zimbabwe $1.480
4 Malawi $1.459
5 Seychelles $1.401
6 Sierra Leone $1.387
7 Guinea $1.386
8 Burundi $1.368
9 Ivory Coast $1.366
10 Kenya $1.351
Many factors influence the price of fuel;
Oil Production and Subsidies: Many of these countries are significant oil producers, and their governments subsidize fuel prices to reduce the economic burden on their citizens. This is particularly true for countries like Libya, Algeria, and Angola.
Economic Impact: While these low prices benefit consumers, they often come at the cost of substantial government subsidies, which can strain national budgets and contribute to economic instability if oil prices fluctuate.
Challenges and Vulnerabilities: Countries without large domestic oil production (like Ethiopia and Liberia) are vulnerable to global oil price changes. Political instability, weak infrastructure, and lack of diversification in the economy are common challenges facing many African countries with low fuel prices.
These low fuel prices often reflect a balance between government subsidies and oil market realities. However, global market dynamics, domestic production levels, and political factors can all influence fuel price fluctuations.

So whatever is happening in Zambia is not different from whatever is happening in other countries. Moreover, most of these countries belong to SADC and COMESA and the monthly fuel price reviews are done in all these countries. And most of these countries with lower prices produce their own oil and refine it. Zambia is doing fine, uyu munthu apitilize.

Good analysis.

Poorly written article. Hard to tell what the author’s argument is.

@Boyd Choongo, and those who think like him, and Mr Apitilize himself, the Architect of the Free Fall model which has brought the Zambian economy to it’s knees.

Every economist knows how small Zambia’s economy is – then you employ 80,000 Public service workers at a goal, and become an employment officer employing on the streets,roads and markets without consulting the Treasury leading to a public service wage bill gobbling over 60% of all revenue.
You abandon cost sharing in education, enhance CDF by over 3000% for substandard works and a conduit for thievery.
You introduce uncoordinated and duplicated empowerment programs Under the Ministries of Community, Local government, SMEs, Green Economy, Youth and Sport, Agriculture , Commerce resulting in huge financial leakages with the same people doing the rounds…
You destroy the Agriculture, Energy and Health Sectors… even Foreign affairs ministry in disarray…THEN YOU FOREGO REVENUE FROM THE MINES.
What kind of Thinking is this????
How do you hope to fund the Populist policies you have introduced????
Then you blame the Drought and the Debt!!!
All decent and objective Economists even from Academia know that Mr Apitilize has messed up big time. The dominoes he has introduced in our economy are now moving at full speed and choking everyone and everything..and there are no indications that things are going to be better under his leadership.
Now he has gone to the education sector, uprooting everything with an overhaul of the entire education system from kindergarten to Tertiary education- a huge and expensive undertaking. How is he going to fund this???
Mr Apitilize, the so called Form ones are opening in three weeks time( delayed because of lack of foresight. You knew you were rolling out the new curriculum.why couldn’t you send the teachers for training early in 2024???)
You now have to provide the human, infrastructure and material facilities through out the country to teach the things you have introduced before 10th February, 2025.

Mr Apitilize, a wonder to watch!

The reality is that Apitilize is a good slogan and it was well thought, how do you remove a president who has fixed the economy from it was in a broken state to were it is now ! For argument sake ,a bitter person may not see the progress made across the nation where the national resources are distributed evenly through CDF and other interventions which the government has put in place, projects are built depending on what the local want not basin on what the central government dictates, a good example is a farmer who will clear his field and will wait for his harvest while his family will be busy complaining that the harvest has taken long but when the time comes to go into the field to get the cobs some will even start sneaking into the field without permission,my argument is it takes a bit of time to results but the positive signs are yet to be seen because of prudent management.Many citizens argue that the cost of living is high yes it is because we don’t produce,we just want to consume.Let Apitilize continue with his sound policies for the country and let the bitter ones be in denial.

@boyd Choongo

Give me your email address I send through an extract from my soon to be published book. ” How Nations Fail – A look into Hakainde’s Zambia”

You are saying that Mr Apitilize has Sorted the broken down Economy! The contrary is actually True. The man has destroyed Zambia’s economy. The country is now in free fall. All the indicators point to a failing economy. His Minister of Finance Presents a fake annual budget to fool the donors and the country. Midway he starts asking for supplementary Budgets..The Balance of Payments can’t balance. Mr Apitilize doesn’t have the revenue to fund his not so well thought out populist policies..but he doesn’t want to get taxes from the mines . So he starts borrowing both locally and abroad…he exports your maize and electricity to scavenge for dollars and then plunge the country in the worst food and energy crises experienced in Zambia since 1991.
Look at the projects being done under CDF. Most of them Substandard works and a waste of our money.
For example look at the houses the PF built for Police Officers in Lusaka, Kabwe, Luanshya, Kitwe , Ndola, Chingola , Chililabombwe. Proper decent houses and any policeman or woman out there can attest to this. Look at the ‘Pit Latrine’ equivalent structures called police houses and police stations being built under CDF! Is this the standard of Mr Apitilize???

Do an objective appraisal of the uncoordinated and duplicated empowerment programs… There are no controls whatsoever. Massive financial leakages.
When people bring out the facts, they are accused of bitterness!
But eventually Mr Apitilize will have no where to hide for his poor policies. If the IMF doesn’t prop him up, even our Foreign Reserves providing cover for imports will dry up..and the Kwacha will be trading around K42 while Fuel will be at K45 going by projections..
the solution to the nation ills doesn’t lie in subjecting us to Torn Kwacha notes. It is in Mr Apitilize’ s poor populist policies. He is in a Populism trap.. Trying to solve problems which his Populism has brought by using more Populism. It can’t work ba Boyd Choongo.