Fellow Countrymen, Women, and the Youth.
Over the past few days, our country has been plunged into uncertainty following the revelations and subsequent action taken by the United States Government through its Ambassador, His Excellency Michael Gonzales regarding the termination of aid to Zambia’s health sector. These revelations make very sad reading.
Today, Zambia’s health sector faces enormous challenges in combating the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria and the decision by the U.S. Government serves as a damning indictment, a reminder that the goodwill of our cooperating partners must never be taken for granted, or abused.
From the days of UNIP through MMD, and then to us the Patriotic Front (PF), both under the leadership of our founding father, the late President Michael Chilufya Sata, and subsequently under my leadership, we prioritized strong cooperation with the United States and other partners. Through programs such as PEPFAR and the Global Fund, we confronted the HIV/AIDS pandemic with the seriousness it deserved.
This collaboration saw millions of our people living with HIV gain access to lifesaving ARVs drugs that saved lives and significantly improved the quality of life for our people. While Tuberculosis remains a major public health challenge, our partnership with donors led to the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Infectious Diseases and the implementation of the “Test and Treat” approach a powerful tool in prevention and control.
Our robust fight against Malaria, which is very high among young children, pregnant women, and the immunocompromised, brought us to the verge of the Malaria Elimination Phase. Further, as part of our decentralisation strategy, we established the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA) to streamline the procurement and distribution of essential medicines and medical supplies across the country.
Fellow Zambians, no government is without fault, but the key in all our efforts was to keep a keen eye on the levels of corruption in the supply chain system of all drugs, otherwise we would not have achieved the policy and implementation targets I have outlined.
In contrast, the shocking scale of theft and corruption, as highlighted by Ambassador Gonzales, is a slap in the face to every Zambian because it is the ordinary citizen who will now suffer due to the potential drug shortages this aid withdrawal will cause. As the saying goes, “If you’re not infected, you’re affected.”
Let me now address my brother, Mr Hakainde Hichilema. Your government has consistently refused to accept responsibility for any wrongdoing, choosing instead to blame the PF or all past administrations. But this is not a time for finger-pointing. Our people will suffer the consequences. The blame game helps no one. The period in question, as clearly stated by Ambassador Gonzales, spans from late 2021 to 2023 squarely under your tenure and you, good sir, must take responsibility.
This careless and inept handling of national affairs has now resulted in the U.S. imposing sanctions undermining our credibility and damaging vital relationships. It is a national embarrassment that casts doubt on our ability to govern ourselves and protect the lives of our people.
Zambians detest pilferage, corruption, and incompetence. But for your government to justify, ignore, or shamelessly downplay the very serious revelations made by Ambassador Gonzales is an insult to over 19 million citizens who entrusted you with power. Despite your promised fight against corruption, the vice has not stopped, but worsened under your watch. Where once the long queues of people I witnessed at our clinics receiving ARVs gave me hope, what might lie ahead for our people if these queues shrink, fills me with despair.
My humble request to you my brother, is to act in the present, instead of dwelling on the past.
I call on all citizens to remain united, hopeful, and vigilant. This is not the first time we have faced a national crisis, and it will not be the last. But the power to correct this trajectory lies with us the people of Zambia.
Let every Zambian, now see that those that had promised to do better, those that had called us and continue to call us names, have failed. In fact, they have not only failed to do as they promised but that they have also done worse than us.
As we collectively forge a more united Zambia, one at peace with herself and other nations, let us remain humble, let us always seek the face of God and seek his guidance.
Nothing lasts forever. This misfortune, this suffering you are now experiencing because of the high cost of living, because of deceit and failure of the UPND government, this excruciating pain that you feel, is only a passing phase. Suffering might endure for a while but peace and joy will soon come.
To the American people, we remain grateful for the long-standing support you continue to provide across various sectors. We appreciate that your doors remain open for future engagement.
As we strive for a more united Zambia, one at peace with itself and with the international community, let us remain humble, let us seek God’s face, and let us pray for wisdom and healing.
May God bless our great nation.
Edgar Chagwa Lungu
Sixth President of Zambia
Chairman of the Tonse Alliance,
2026 Presidential Candidate – Tonse Alliance
15 December 2019
Edgar Lungu expels USA ambassador
President Edgar Lungu has announced that Zambia has written to the United States government to withdraw its ambassador Daniel Foote.
The Head of State was speaking today at the United Church of Zambia -UCZ, Southern Presbytery St. Stephen’s congregation church building fundraising service in Choma district.
President Lungu said that this was because Zambia does not want people who support unchristian values such as homosexuality in the country.
The government’s position comes in the wake of undiplomatic antics by ambassador Foote in which he questioned the conviction and jailing of a Zambian couple for practicing homosexuality.
Mr. Foote had also commented on internal affairs bordering on governance contrary to diplomatic etiquette.
The President has since thanked the UCZ for speaking against unchristian acts such as homosexuality..
From the above, I really don’t know if ECL do humble himself genuinely.
Hopefully this is written by ECL..I like the part where it says we priorized the relationship between US and Zambia. Indeed, so much so that you kicked out the USA abbasador!! Do you really think Zambians forget? Your advice would mean a lot of it was sincere and this you could have written to your “brother” than play politics all the same. But don’t worry, this brother of yours will fix it just like he is doing so on the many things you trapped him in. Look out for the greatest bump harvest ever this year!!!
This is very wise counsel from ECL. He is talking from experience. We were all hoping that Hakainde had learnt a thing or two in the 25 years he was in opposition. We were very wrong.
Reject tribalism, corruption and oppression.
God bless Why Me and Captain Ibrahim Traore.
VOTE FOR CHANGE IN 2026.
We are told by Nakachinda and Mumbi Phiri that Edgar Lungu has been asked to temporarily stay away from politics to recuperate properly.Now who is his minion impersonating Lungu
Chula’s have taken charge even signing for him in these croaking posts
Forget about the money you stole, while your past a former president that had retired from PF and public politics and we should just accept that it never happened? What level of wisdom is this? No wonder we had so much chaos! No wonder Amos Chanda’s revelations make sense.
Interestingly has he now decided to do away with the PF presidency. He used to sign off all his previous articles as PF president among the many other Titles . What has happened to this one? Is there a big shift we are not informed of?
Lest we forget: I didn’t have to look far. Thank God for the internet.
On 13th November 2020, Zambia became the first African country in the Covid-19 era to default on its Eurobond debt, after the Government missed a coupon payment of US$42.5 million on its 2024 Eurobond. The Government has remained in default ever since and sought external assistance to bring the debt levels to sustainable levels. Consequently, in 2020, the Government applied for the G20/Paris-Club Common Framework for Debt Treatment Beyond the DSSI. This note discusses Zambia’s macroeconomic and fiscal landscape leading up to the debt distress, to better understand the conditions that gave rise to the 2020 sovereign default. This note also recounts the 20 years leading to this economically treacherous and costly process.
In this short paper, the Zambian think-tank ZIPAR (Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research) presents the main findings of a forthcoming report.
This is a man who wants us to ignore the past. Yet is acts in the past are what haunts us.
Who are you to lecture anyone today for the useless and destructive acts of your past.
We digging ourselves out of the mess you left Lungu. For a sick man, you seem fit enough to man these reckless and rethorical outbursts.
Tasila, you had asked us to spare your father while he heals. But this is hardly the act we expect from a man who is ill.
This is a man who doesnt care about people and fails to take responisibility for his part in the very acts he accuses his successor. Ask him to behave like an adult for once in his life.
Tonse Presidential Candidate is just his useless attempt to come back and do what?
Trumpian antiques and the wannabe Trump whose only good so far is the selfserving acts of pliaging the state, are acts that started in MMD. Meaning that even you during your tenure you failed to deal with the drug theft; Mr. Lungu. Stop trying to be selfrightous.
You left Zambia bankrupt with no plan. And return will not mean you will do better.
For a person with “throat cancer” (as reported) you seem to have a lot to say. Worry about living, unless lying to us about your being ill, is your Plan B.
Deal with your illness and let the state do what it can to save Zambians not loot Zambia as you have sought to do.
Well put.
Zambians are too polite. In other countries this people would have done a citizen’s arrest a long time ago on this fella.