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Hakainde Hichilema

President, Zambia

Search every verified Hakainde Hichilema interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Hakainde Hichilema was sworn in for a second term as President of Zambia on September 1, 2026, at the National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka. In his inaugural address, he described his administration as moving "from stabilization to growth" and outlined a policy framework he called the "10 10 5 3 3 1 1 1 vision," which sets targets including 10 million tons of maize, 10,000 megawatts of electricity, 5 million tourist arrivals, 3 million tons of copper, and $1 billion in beef exports. He stated that the goal of this agenda is to triple the size of Zambia's economy during his five-year term. He also acknowledged that many families still face challenges with the cost of living and said the benefits of economic stabilization have not yet been felt at every level. In the period leading up to the inauguration, Hichilema spoke about his first-term record, citing debt restructuring, a return of 2.6 million children to school, and increased maize production. During an August 2026 BBC interview, he said his government inherited a "broken down country" and had delivered on restructuring debt with a saving of $1.9 billion per year. He also visited Zimbabwe in late August 2026, where he described Zambia and Zimbabwe as "Siamese twins" and called for deeper cooperation on shared resources, including joint management of mineral deposits and development of the Batoka Gorge hydroelectric project. In November 2025, he received an honorary doctorate in agribusiness from Mulongushi University and spoke about his background in cattle ranching, setting a target of $1 billion in beef exports by 2030.

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Verified interview transcripts

Notable quotes

“Let me address the change of mindset. Fellow citizen, we are emerging from an era that taught many of our people to think only of today and not about tomorrow. The entitlement culture or that of handout syndrome is something we must attack consciously, deliberately, intentionally. This culture was engraved over many years and it cannot be done with away with overnight. As a nation, we have to think differently. We ha”

“Our own flagship policy of what we call the 10 10 5 3 3 1 1 1 vision. Very clear. 10 million tons of maize for food security. 10,000 megawatts of electricity to power our economy. 5 million tourist arrivals. 3 million tons of copper. 3 million tons of soybeans. 1 million tons of wheat. 1 million tons of sugar. And a billion dollar or more worth of beef exports outside of our country in the region. Through this agenda”

“We will grow and diversify our mining sector, agriculture, tourism, energy sectors amongst others. We will accelerate infrastructure development and industrial transformation through reforming institutions that have stood in the way of the country's growth for too many years.”

“We are moving from stabilization to growth effectively. Fellow citizens, we know that many of our families have challenges with the cost of living and that the benefits of our stabilization have not yet been felt at every level. We hear you, the citizens of Zambia. We're listening attentively.”

“We will grow and diversify our mining sector, agriculture, tourism, energy sectors amongst others. We will accelerate infrastructure development and industrial transformation through reforming institutions that have stood in the way of the country's growth for too many years.”

“We are moving from stabilization to growth effectively. Fellow citizens, we know that many of our families have challenges with the cost of living and that the benefits of our stabilization have not yet been felt at every level. We hear you, the citizens of Zambia. We're listening attentively.”

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