EXPLAINER | Makebi’s Economic Argument, in His Own Words
During his Prime TV interview last night, Makebi Zulu presented a sharp critique of Zambia’s current economic direction and outlined what he considers a fundamentally different approach to governance, growth, and public welfare. His argument rests on the belief that Zambia’s economic challenges are not technical failures but political choices driven by what he describes as a misreading of the role of the state.
At the centre of his economic thinking is the claim that the Presidency has adopted a business mindset that is incompatible with national governance. “A country is not a business enterprise,” Makebi said, arguing that statecraft requires social responsibility rather than profit logic. He maintained that focusing on macro indicators without direct household impact disconnects growth from lived reality.
Makebi questioned the emphasis on GDP growth and copper output figures, insisting that headline numbers conceal distributional weaknesses.
“President Hakainde Hichilema will tell you of these numbers,” he said, “but he’s not telling you what benefit there’s going to be to the Zambians.” According to Makebi, economic reporting should be judged by affordability, income stability, and access to public goods rather than export volumes alone.
On mining, Makebi argued that tax incentives offered to investors undermine domestic benefit. He stated that incentives allow profits to be externalised, leaving the state with insufficient revenue for electricity generation, medicine procurement, and social support. His position is that mineral wealth must translate into fiscal capacity, not only foreign exchange inflows.
Energy featured prominently in his economic narrative. Makebi criticised loadshedding not as a technical failure but as a governance failure linked to revenue shortfalls and planning gaps. He argued that an economy without reliable power cannot sustain productivity,
, or small enterprise growth.
He linked power shortages to broader fiscal decisions, including what he sees as misplaced priorities in expenditure and concessions.
On agriculture, Makebi framed the farmer as the foundation of economic stability. He stated that Zambia’s economy cannot function when farmers face delayed payments, rising input costs, and weak market protection. His economic vision places agriculture at the centre of income security, food pricing, and rural employment rather than treating it as a seasonal support sector.
Makebi also addressed public employment, particularly in health and education. He criticised what he described as bureaucratic barriers that delay recruitment of trained professionals. While he did not present numerical targets, his position was that existing capacity should be absorbed faster to strengthen service delivery and household income circulation.
Inflation and cost of living formed a recurring theme. Makebi cited past public price expectations for fertiliser, fuel, and mealie meal to illustrate what he called a widening gap between promise and outcome. He argued that price stability should be treated as an economic objective equal to growth, given its direct effect on household welfare.
On public finance, Makebi argued that government revenue is constrained not by scarcity of resources but by structural leakage. He suggested that incentives, exemptions, and externalised profits shrink the state’s ability to fund essentials, forcing austerity in areas that affect ordinary citizens first.
Throughout the interview, Makebi framed his economic thinking as people-centred rather than numbers-centred. His emphasis was not on policy sequencing or fiscal frameworks, but on outcomes that reduce household pressure, restore purchasing power, and expand access to basic services.
In summary, Makebi’s economic position rests on five core ideas expressed during the interview. The state must not be run as a business. Growth figures must translate into household benefit. Mining wealth must strengthen public revenue. Agriculture must anchor economic planning. Power, employment, and affordability must be treated as governance priorities rather than market by-products.
This framing reflects an economic argument rooted in redistribution, state responsibility, and direct welfare outcomes, as articulated by Makebi Zulu during his Prime TV appearance.
© The People’s Brief | Francine Lilu
Easier said than done. Makebi could not do all those things his talking about with the unsustainable debt that was inherited from PF. It was literary impossible. What Hakainde did was to restructure the debt first and then stabilize the economy which was in negative and he successfully did those two things. Such work does not need someone with nice theories like Makebi Zulu, it needs someone who is hardworking, prudent resource manager and visionary leader like HH. Things are getting better by everyday that passes, who new that Zambia would be exporting fertilizer by now? Mines that we had even forgotten about, are now operational giving more jobs and disposable income to the citizens. CDF has transformed Zambia in the last 4 years in all the Constituencies where they put development first and politics second. With Hakainde in the driving seat, this country is headed for a big economic boom which Zambians have never seen before. With the debt restructured and economy stabilized, the next 6 years will just focus on development resulting in an unprecedented development by 2031.
You can only re-redistribute what you have. Makebi Zulu and his PF during their reign, re-distributed poverty, tribalism, corruption, theft, thuggery….The list is very very long. “Talk is cheap”
It is sad how someone so rejected from his own constituency and country, who had inherented surplus left negative empty coffers can now claim they know better. Does he know or don’t want to know that after borrowing heavily they never paid for the same? That debt short up from 2.5 to 14.5 and mealie meal from 50 to 250? That they defaulted and removed meal allowances from students; that they left out of school, 3 million children?
By the way, did he realise the platform he was articulating his own limited world view they closed it? Without growing the business. How would one distribute? Does he know that they grabbed KCM and Mopani and for two years they failed to solve it? Copper production fail to all time low? Kwacha fail from 5 to 24 when they were going? Ba Makebi, what you are propagating is what President Trup called alternative truth, which can only resonate to your base. Shame! Because you want to win elections but so far you are speaking to your own 1.8 base. That is no way of winning elections.
By the way on ECL. One breath you say you are just spokesperson, in another breath you are a lawyer and mostly you are your own. You said. You will ensure, that is not a language of spokesperson. In any case, you say HH is stubborn, where does that leave you? Why canyon give in? I challenge you, Xmas is about love and love your enemy. Do you read the Bible?
So far, you are not making an impact. You may end up losing more money but then, it may not be your money so you so you can waste it
I find it both funny and frightening to think that there are people who even remotely follow such people like Mr. Makebi Zulu. The man is contradicting himself in his own comments. For starters, how does one distribute something they don’t have? How will government distribute the benefits if businesses can not make money because they are overtaxed? Secondly, how would the government make important decisions if they don’t have statistics about what is happening in the economy. So if by chance Zambian were to make a mistake and make him president, is he saying he will be using guesswork instead of actual statistical numbers like inflation rate, GDP growth, etc. to make economic decisions? People of Zambia, please let’s be serious and not allow people like Mr Zulu anywhere near power because they would take the country a hundred years back.