President Hichilema Opens 5th Session of Parliament, Highlights Economic Gains and Sectoral Reforms
President Hakainde Hichilema today officially opened the Fifth Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly, outlining key achievements of the UPND New Dawn administration over the past four years. His speech covered progress in key sectors, including economic management, agriculture, mining, energy, land reform, education, health, and social protection.
President Hichilema said economic growth has been attained despite global uncertainty, a huge national debt burden, and the impact of the drought experienced during the 2023/2024 rainy season. He reported that Zambia’s economy grew at an average rate of 5.2 percent between 2021 and 2024, three times higher than the 1.5 percent average recorded between 2017 and 2020.
He added that inflation had reduced from an average of 23.1 percent between January and July 2021 to 15.5 percent over the same period in 2025, while the kwacha rebounded against major currencies, helping stabilise the cost of goods and services.
In the agriculture sector, the President announced that maize production increased to 3.7 million metric tonnes in the 2024/2025 farming season, up from 1.5 million metric tonnes the previous year.
“We successfully delivered a major reform under FISP, migrating 730 thousand farmers onto the e-voucher,” he said. “By migrating these farmers, we were able to remove over 210 thousand fraudulent beneficiaries. This subsequently created space for genuine farmers to benefit from this critical support.”
President Hichilema thanked Zambians for their patience and assured them that government is working hard to resolve the current electricity deficit. He committed to delivering new generation capacity through sweeping policy reforms and cost-reflective tariffs to attract investment.
He added that interim measures are being implemented to improve electricity access for SMEs and townships disproportionately affected by power shortages.
“We are diversifying the energy mix to make the sub-sector resilient to climate change and increase our generation capacity. Notable interventions include the 94 megawatts Copperbelt Energy Corporation Itimpi solar power station and the 100 megawatts Chisamba Solar Phase-1 project, which we recently commissioned,” he said.
In the mining sector, President Hichilema said the government is formalising artisanal and small-scale operations and has issued over 1,400 licences,71 percent of which are for gold mining. He urged miners at all levels to comply with legal frameworks, safety standards, and formal trade practices.
The President said that, besides reviving and expanding old mines, government is facilitating the opening of new ones in line with the commitment to increase mineral production.
He stressed that environmental compliance enforcement would be strengthened and that violators of environmental protection laws would be held accountable.
On land reform, the President announced that the government would soon introduce land access windows tailored for small-scale farmers, entrepreneurs, cooperatives, and investors to ensure equitable distribution and use of land across sectors. He also highlighted the rollout of a comprehensive digitisation programme to map all land parcels, aimed at eliminating inefficiencies, human interference, and corruption.
“To address the persistent delays and financial burden associated with land disputes, we will significantly strengthen the Land Tribunal by increasing budgetary support and decentralising its operations,” he said.
In the social sector, President Hichilema affirmed that the government continues to invest in education, health, water, and sanitation, while addressing vulnerability and inequality.
He stated that since the introduction of the free education policy in 2022, over 2.3 million learners have returned to school, enabling more students to progress to tertiary education. He added that the national curriculum has been revised to better equip learners for the market.
In the health sector, the President affirmed that the well-being of Zambians remains a priority amid declining global health financing. He stated that government has enhanced domestic investment in key health programmes to ensure continued quality healthcare delivery.