Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia

Contents
Message from the President ............................................................................................3
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 4
The Vision........................................................................................................................ 5
Mission ............................................................................................................................ 5
Religion and the State .................................................................................................... 6
Our Core Values Include: ............................................................................................... 6
The UPND Agenda .......................................................................................................... 6
Economic Management .................................................................................................. 8
Jobs Creation.................................................................................................................. 9
Private Sector Development .......................................................................................... 11
Micro, Small and Medium- sized Enterprises (MSMEs) ............................................... 12
Government ................................................................................................................... 13
Law, Justice and Security .............................................................................................. 13
Separation of Power ...................................................................................................... 15
The Executive ................................................................................................................ 15
The Judiciary ................................................................................................................. 15
The Legislature .............................................................................................................. 15
Corruption ..................................................................................................................... 16
Decentralisation ............................................................................................................ 16
Land Policy and Planning .............................................................................................. 16
Climate Change.............................................................................................................. 17
Economic Sector Programmes ...................................................................................... 19
Agriculture and Agro-Processing .................................................................................. 19
Energy............................................................................................................................22
Transport and Logistics.................................................................................................23
Mining……… ................................................................................................ ………….…..25
Transport.......................................................................................................................26
Manufacturing ............................................................................................................... 27
Financial services ......................................................................................................... 28
Science and Technology ............................................................................................... 28
Arts, and Culture ...........................................................................................................29
Sports and Recreation .................................................................................................. 30
Social Sector Programmes ............................................................................................ 31
Education ...................................................................................................................... 31
Health and Nutrition .....................................................................................................32
Social Protection ...........................................................................................................33
Youth, Women & Persons with Disabilities ..................................................................33
Water and Sanitation .................................................................................................... 31
Major Reforms to be Undertaken..................................................................................34
Governance....................................................................................................................34
Electoral Reforms..........................................................................................................32
Public Order .................................................................................................................. 35
Public Service ................................................................................................................32
Debt and Expenditure Management .............................................................................36
Procurement .................................................................................................................33
Tax Reforms ..................................................................................................................34
Pension Reforms ........................................................................................................... 35
Media Reforms .............................................................................................................. 35
Trade Policy Reforms ....................................................................................................36
Foreign Policy ................................................................................................................ 37
Conclusion .....................................................................................................................42

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Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
AFCFTA AFRICAN CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AREA

COMESA COMMON MARKET FOR EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

DIP DECENTRALISATION IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

CSLAs COMMUNITY SAVINGS AND LOANS ASSOCIATIONS

ESC EMPLOYMENT SERVICES CENTRE

ETP ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME

FDIs FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT

GHG GREENHOUSE GAS

GMA GAME MANAGEMENT AREA

ICT INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

M&E MONITORING AND EVALUATION

MSMEs MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES

PPP PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

PSD PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT

UNCCC UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

UPND UNITED PARTY FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

WASH WATER SANITATION AND HYGIENE

ZAFFICO ZAMBIA FORESTRY AND FOREST INDUSTRY CORPORATION

ZEMA ZAMBIA ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY

ZPPA ZAMBIA PUBLIC PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY

ZRA ZAMBIA REVENUE AUTHORITY

ZED ZAMBIA ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

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Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Message from the President
We, the people of Zambia, have always achieved unity
of purpose. In the 1950s and early 1960s, Zambians of
all ethnicities united in delivering political
independence. In the early 1990s, Zambians again
joined hands in delivering multiparty politics and a
more democratic society. In 2005, we united and
embarked on a long-term dream, The Vision 2030, to
become “A Prosperous Middle-Income Nation
by the Year 2030”. In our goal, we committed to
sustaining high rates of economic growth and
significantly reducing poverty. With much sacrifice
and effort by the Zambian people, we attained
macroeconomic stability and economic growth by
2011, earning a reclassification to Lower Middle-
Income Country status.
The country, now more than ever before, needs
Since 2011, our economic fortunes have dissipated, visionary leadership and economic management
and economic growth has decreased from over seven skills for development and social progress. The
percent recorded in 2010 to less than two percent United Party for National Development (UPND)
currently. The country’s debt has once again commits to work tirelessly to realize the dream of a
skyrocketed to unsustainable levels. Consequently, prosperous Zambia anchored on mutual
the high level of debt service has reduced the capacity understanding, love and national unity for speedy
to make critical investments in health, education and economic and social development, with a targeted
infrastructure as well as ability to dismantle economic growth rate of 10.0 percent per year for us
outstanding payments to creditors, both local and to achieve the Vision 2030. We will take positive and
foreign, including to pensioners. Also, high transparent steps to implement an ambitious
unemployment levels have become the norm. While economic and social transformation to move Zambia
lower copper prices and frequent bouts of climate forward and achieve overall poverty reduction within
related droughts have weighed down performance, a decade.
Zambians know that lack of visionary leadership,
corruption, and political patronage in the public This manifesto reflects how, with your participation,
service, are the main reasons for their struggles. we can make this vision a reality and demonstrate to
the world that our best years as a nation are within
We, as a people, have this historic opportunity, to use
our reach. This manifesto has benefited from the
the power of our vote in 2021 to change our country
views of a broad spectrum of ordinary citizens across
and create a united and prosperous Zambia with
our society, including the youth and women, miners,
equal opportunities across ethnic, religious, regional,
farmers, marketeers, economic, social and security
generational and gender considerations, living in
sector experts, to mention but a few. We are most
harmony and in a free democratic society. We are also
grateful to them for sharing their wisdom and dreams
committed to addressing the issues of inequitable
for the future. They can rest assured that through our
distribution of wealth where 90.0 percent of the
collective effort, we can realize a united and
country’s wealth is held by 10.0 percent of the
prosperous Zambia – Yes, Together We Can.
population, with uneven allocation of resources
between urban and rural areas. Through our vote, we
can usher in an era of good governance and prudent
economic management that will foster accelerated Hakainde Hichilema
national development and empowerment for every
PRESIDENT
citizen through sustainable use of our vast human
and natural resources.

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Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Introduction
The UPND administration will place a high
Founded in 1998, the UPND, is a national political
priority on establishing a stable and predictable
party that stands for progress, good governance and
policy environment that will promote private
a united and prosperous Zambia. The party’s overall
investment, protection of private property,
objective is to make the Zambian economy work
growth and job creation. Attention shall be
efficiently and competitively to lift the living
placed on attaining and preserving prudent
standards of the people sustainably.
macroeconomic management, characterised by
The party’s guiding principle is a people-cantered, public-private consultation, policy consistency,
pro-poor, development strategy that guarantees the fiscal prudence, and investment promotion.
basic needs of all the people of Zambia. To this end, Deliberate efforts shall be made to lower the cost
the UPND will: of doing business, including those relating to
regulatory compliance, public sector
a. Develop a mixed economy based on production, bureaucracy, energy, transportation, trade
efficiency, social justice and the eradication of logistics and credit. The government, through
poverty. the relevant ministries, will be mandated to
provide annual updates to track performance
b. Institute measures to attain macroeconomic
across a range of parameters including
stability (i.e., low inflation, stable interest rates,
investment attraction, tourism promotion and
high growth, fiscal discipline) and prioritize
the cost of commerce and trade.
areas of national development.
Because a well-functioning economy depends on
c. Build a national coalition and consensus in order, peace and security established by the law,
economic planning and implementation the UPND administration places a high priority
through a Consultative Economic Advisory
on the establishment of a sound legal
Forum of Business, Labour, Government and
environment that ensures the rule of law, peace,
the Civil Society.
justice, civil liberties, and security for all. We will
d. Encourage private and public sector economic focus on securing the law, including making
programmes that improve people’s wellbeing. necessary changes to the constitution, as well as
widening the democratic space, fostering
e. Devise a national programme for innovation dialogue, debate and tolerance of different
that will unleash the talents and creativity of views.
Zambians, including the youth and women.

f. Set into motion a process of economic

transformation and the diversification of the
economic base through maximum utilisation of
local endowments and the promotion of value
addition, particularly in industry, agriculture,
tourism, small-scale mining and
manufacturing.

g. Prioritise job creation through high growth,

prioritisation of jobs-rich sectors and targeted
interventions, particularly for the youth and
women.

h. Reduce socio-economic disparities among

regions to create a foundation for sustainable
development by harnessing our resources.

i. Encourage local investors to go into

manufacturing through the establishment of a
citizen credit institution.

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Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
The Vision
delivering sustainable development. Our
Our vision is to have a united and prosperous vision and mission are rooted in global and
Zambia with equal opportunities across ethnic, regional sustainability frameworks,
religious and gender considerations, living in including the UN Sustainable Development
harmony in a free democratic society, thus carrying Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement on
forward Zambia’s Vision 2030. Climate Change and the African Union
Agenda 2063. Our focus is to build
Mission inclusive solutions that cut across the four
corners of the sustainability framework:
Our mission is to foster accelerated national human, social, economic and
development through the mobilisation and environmental considerations. In a
sustainable use of human and natural resources for nutshell, our goal is to meet the needs of
the empowerment of every Zambian citizen. today, without compromising the ability of
In defining the core of the party’s manifesto, the future generations to meet their own needs.
UPND continues to build a people-centred agenda
for change and reform firmly anchored on

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Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Religion and the State Our core values include:

The UPND will maintain Zambia as a Christian Unity in diversity

Nation while promoting and upholding religious
Equality before the law
freedom and tolerance of other religions and
beliefs. Respect for the freedoms and rights of all
citizens

Transparency

Accountability

Integrity

Social Justice

The UPND Agenda

The UPND Government seeks to realise Zambia’s b. Entrepreneurship–we will target the
aspiration of becoming a prosperous middle- formation of a robust indigenous entrepreneur-
income xountry through three main phases: ship base as part of the agenda to determine our
recovery and stabilization; steady growth; and take- destiny, retain resources within the country and
off. In 2021, we will firmly implement credible build a strong middle-class. Entrepreneurship
policies to lower the fiscal deficit, restore market efforts will include a focus on youths and women
confidence, bring stability to the economy, enable a who will be encouraged to participate in
speedy recovery in economic growth, and ensure MSMEs. Youths and women will be strongly
debt management and sustainability. Under a encouraged to participate in business, including
climate of steady growth, we shall deepen through initiatives to promote the growth of and
investments in human capital, strategic economic performance of Micro, Small and Medium-size
sectors and export promotion. Enterprises (MSMEs). Through the formation of
With this foundation, we shall accelerate the Community Savings and Loans Associations
transformation of the economy by advancing value- (CSLAs), groups shall receive entrepreneurship
addition, industrialization and the integration into training, with financial support provided by an
global markets. The following are some of the MSME Development Fund. We will also
programmes that we will set up to achieve this: establish the Zambia Enterprise Development
(ZED) Initiative to support start-ups and
a. Economic Transformation Programme existing enterprises, including allowing for the
(ETP) – the ETP will be the overarching creation of business incubators that have a high
framework that will bring together our potential for growth and job creation.
interventions in the various sectors of the
economy to create more and better jobs and to c. Digital Revolution – deepening the digital
eliminate poverty. It will also focus on value and knowledge economy will allow Zambia to
addition in agriculture, mining and accelerate our progress towards the 2030 Vision
manufacturing to make the economic of becoming a prosperous middle-income
transformation programme more action country. Every aspect of human, social, political
oriented. With job creation as a critical focus, we and economic activity is becoming rooted in
shall prioritise jobs-rich sectors such as tourism information generated by the online activities of
and construction, while harnessing the potential people and machines. The dawn of the
of our youth in the digital economy. The private information age, and more recently, the rise in
sector will lead the programme. At the same automation in the fourth industrial revolution,
time, the government will promote human presents both opportunities and challenges for
capital development and facilitate economic developing countries, especially those that seek
activities through policy formulation, sound to industrialise. It is therefore imperative that as
regulation, effective service delivery and a country whose demography comprises mainly
maintenance of a secure and stable investment of the youth, we craft our collective digital
climate.
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Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
future and devise national programmes to leverage These include:
these events through innovation that will unleash • Good governance – we will ensure that public
the talents and creativity of Zambians. institutions conduct public affairs and manage
We must aspire to become the centre of digital public resources in a transparent and
transformation and use technology to drive accountable manner to achieve the high
productivity and strengthen resilience in economic efficiency and competitiveness
agriculture, manufacturing, health, education and required to lift the living standards of the people.
all other sectors of our economy. In a nutshell, we
• Improved Policy Environment – we will firmly
shall make Zambia move towards a digital economy
strengthen the formulation and implementation
that will be driven by deliberate digital governance
of the credible macroeconomic, social, external
policies. To achieve this, we will scale-up sector and sectoral policies, including specific
investment in broadband capacities, including
policy reforms to bring stability to the economy,
through public-private partnerships (PPPs), to enable a speedy recovery in economic growth,
build a robust, easily accessible and secure and ensure debt sustainability.
government information and communication
technology (ICT) environment. We will also work • Strengthen Public Financial Management – we
with service providers to ensure the sound will undertake financial and budgetary reforms
planning and installation of digital infrastructure to improve public financial management to
that is essential to efficient and inclusive service ensure prudent use and promote accountability
delivery, economic investment and growth that and transparency in the use of public resources.
creates an attractive environment for citizens. We
shall build a robust, accessible and secure e- • Improved Service Delivery and Productivity –
governance system to enable businesses and we will ensure adequate investment in the social
citizens to deal with government promptly and sector (education, health and water and
efficiently when applying for services such as sanitation) so that we have well-trained and
permits and licenses. healthy citizens to power the economic
transformation agenda.
To implement a successful economic trans-
formation agenda, we will create a conducive • Improved Rule of Law and Human Rights – the
regulatory environment and address the critical rule of law will be the benchmark that will guide
impediments that may affect the achievement of the UPND in government. We will put in place
our overall objective. policies and strategies to enhance access to
justice, observance of the rule of law and human
rights to ensure there is order and security in the
country.

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Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Downtown_Lusaka.JPG

Economic Management
Since 1991, we, as Zambians, have individually and Our Kwacha has emerged as one the worst
severally sacrificed to bring our economy back on performing currencies in the world, depreciating to
course. We eliminated hyperinflation, brought an all-time low of K22 to $1 (USD). Our sovereign
inflation to single digits in 2006 and sustained bond issues carry the same tag.
macroeconomic stability until 2011. Between 2006
and 2011, the economy was characterized by robust Consequently, the cost of living for ordinary
growth, low inflation and a stable exchange rate Zambians has gone up, making life harder. For
that averaged K4.20 per US dollar. example, a 25kg bag of mealie meal that cost
K45.00 in 2011 went as high as K140.00, while a
However, after 2011, economic haemorrhaging set litre of diesel (fuel) more than doubled from K6.22
in, under the combined weight of large and to K15.59 over the same period. The COVID-19
concurrent fiscal deficits, policy inconsistencies, pandemic is projected to make life even harder for
corruption, and misplaced priorities. Economic Zambian citizens and, in the absence of a
growth has slowed to under 2.0 percent. In significant turnaround, threatens to rob us of the
contrast, public debt, which was around 11.4 2030 Vision.
percent of national output, has swelled to
unsustainable levels above 100 percent.

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Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Several factors can define this economic shifting emphasis on consumption taxes and
misfortune. improve overall revenue collection.

They include: b. Ensure fiscal expenditure rationalization,

prudence and discipline.
a. Economic mismanagement – non-
prioritization of expenditure including c. Maintain a strong, cautious and conservative
implementation and co-ordination monetary policy stance.
weaknesses. d. Increase budgetary allocations to social
b. Uncoordinated and expensive borrowing. protection, including addressing the plight of
pensioners.
c. Waning market confidence and participation
in the economy. e. Improve economic and fiscal governance
through the strengthening of regulations and
d. Policy somersaults – inconsistent policy laws to ensure transparency of spending
environment and conflicting positions within decisions.
the government.
f. Improve budget credibility through better
e. Deterioration of good governance – planning, adherence to expenditure plans and
weakening of critical institutions and an improvement of the quality of government’s
intensifying culture of corruption. spending.

f. External shocks – lower copper prices, poor g. Increase international reserves, creating a
rainfall affecting electricity generation as well buffer to cushion the economy against external
as the COVID-19 pandemic. shocks.

The UPND government is up to the task of h. Improve the country’s economic stability
instituting a robust recovery programme and through easing access to credit, lowering
placing the economy back on its previous growth lending rates and reducing inflation.
path. Unlike the pre 2011 period, we are conscious
i. Strengthen statistical analysis capacity to
of the risks of delivering jobless growth, such as
improve policy-making and better track
stagnated social indicators and widening
progress.
inequalities. Our focus will therefore be on
attaining outcomes beyond economic growth and
towards greater inclusion and poverty reduction. Jobs Creation
Through sound and responsible economic
management, we shall implement our A significant challenge that many Zambians face
development agenda of economic trans- formation today is unemployment; particularly for the youth.
to deliver our national vision and individual Formal sector employment opportunities are
aspirations of our citizens. scarce and continuing to decline. The private sector
is struggling, not only due to electricity blackouts
We will firmly strengthen the formulation and and high energy costs, but also because of poor
implementation of credible macroeconomic, economic management that has failed to maintain
social, external sector and sectoral economic growth above the increase in labour
(microeconomic) policies, including specific policy participation. Also, low levels of entrepreneurship
reforms to lower the fiscal deficit, manage and coupled with limited access to appropriate finance,
eventually reduce public debt, and restore social technology and markets, have further constrained
and market confidence. This will bring stability to employment creation.
the economy, enabling a speedy recovery in
economic growth, and ensuring debt Under these circumstances, most of our youth have
sustainability. In this regard, we commit to doing faced little choice but to engage in informal low
the following: paying activities that present minimal
opportunities to advance themselves, thereby
a. Strengthen tax policy and administration to keeping them trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty
broaden the tax base, reduce the individual and informality.
tax burden on families and companies, while

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Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
 Further, some have resorted to crime, drug abuse, d. Promote broad-based re-education, up- skilling,
and other destructive activities. Some politicians retooling, and skills development for formal and
have even taken advantage of the poor and informal workers in the public and private sectors,
unemployed youths to cause mayhem during particularly vulnerable groups (women, youths and
elections. the disabled).

The UPND has a strategy for employment and job

creation for Zambia. The approach recognizes that e. Broaden the formal employment base to ensure
robust private sector growth, particularly the growth workers are protected by the law and have access to
of the MSMEs, is the most powerful driver of job pension and health systems.
creation. Through this jobs strategy, we aim to
harness the full potential of Zambia’s youth by f. Implement an economic diversification programme
prioritising growth in the jobs rich sectors in our that prioritizes jobs-rich sectors, such as agro-
programme for economic transformation and processing, tourism, construction and ICT.
placing a higher priority on the plight of the youth,
including through targeted initiatives and programs.
We will thus: g. Focus on changing the mindset and culture of our
young generation so that they appreciate their value
a. Educate, motivate and encourage the youth to and reject being used as tools of violence during
become successful entrepreneurs, who will in turn elections.
dramatically improve the employment situation
and create jobs for others.

b. Establish labour and employment policy reforms

that ensure that harmony and healthy synergies
exist between the workforce and the private sector
as the main engine of job creation.

c. Ensure that there are strong synergies between our

job creation strategy and MSMEs strategy so that
the initiatives we develop to support the MSME
contribute to stimulating job creation as well as
training and apprenticeship programs.

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Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Private Sector Development
The private sector is the engine of innovation, a. Improve the business environment and reduce
employment creation, investment and growth for the cost of doing business for the private sector.
any economy. Dynamic private companies offer the
most effective way to create wealth, jobs and b. Improve regulatory frameworks and remove
prosperity for all on a sustained basis. Therefore, administrative barriers to business entry and
creating the right conditions for businesses to operations.
expand and grow is indispensable if we are serious
c. Commit our political support to the Private
about achieving the Vision 2030. It is only through
Sector Development (PSD) reforms.
a well-functioning private sector that our youths
will have the chance to get decent jobs and earn a d. Ensure that there is a built-in mechanism for
decent living. It is only through a well-functioning harmonizing the divergent stakeholders’ needs
private sector that parents can provide for their and interests at political, institutional and
children, ensure that families have access to technical levels.
affordable goods and services, and that poverty can
be eradicated. e. Ensure that the PSD reform process is
sufficiently consultative and that all its key local
In this regard, the UPND Government commits to partners in both the public and private sectors
placing private enterprises at the centre of participate to ensure ownership of the process.
production and trade, and to supporting private
sector development to achieve our overall objective f. Ensure that roles for government and the private
of economic growth, job creation and poverty sector are well defined and understood, i.e., the
reduction. We thus commit to improving the role of the government is to create legislation
relationship between the government and the that is business-friendly and facilitates private
private sector, including through well-tailored sector growth while the role for the private sector
PPPs, particularly in labour-intensive, job-creating is to provide input into the process of developing
ventures. Through a Consultative Economic business-friendly legislation and point out when
Advisory Forum, we will collaborate with the private difficulties are noted.
sector on planning and implementation of the
development agenda and consult to address hurdles
to growth and job creation.

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Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
 a. Formation of MSME Community Savings and
g. Prioritise public investments in services that Loans Associations – the Community Savings
harness the benefits of regional, continental
and Loan Association will provide
and global trade arrangements and promote
entrepreneurship training and soft loans.
PSD through an informed knowledge
Financial support will be provided to start-up
economy.
associations through an MSME Development
Fund. The primary aim of this Fund will be to
lower financing costs for qualifying MSMEs, by
Micro, Small and Medium- sized providing third-party credit risk mitigation, soft
Enterprises (MSMEs) loans and, where appropriate, grant financing.
Partial Credit Guarantees will be used to reduce
MSMEs employ the majority of the country’s risks to commercial banks that extend loans to
workforce. However, for MSMEs to have a selected MSMEs.
meaningful impact on employment, the numerous
constraints faced by the firms will have to be b. Establishment of the Zambia Enterprise
addressed. Obstacles such as: a lack of affordable Development (ZED) Initiative – the ZED
financing, irregular supply of energy, poor access to Initiative will facilitate business plan
skilled human resources and new technologies, competitions to support start-ups and existing
high cost of regulatory compliance, and a lack of enterprises that have high growth potential.
economies of scale. Under this framework, MSMEs will present
competing business plans showing how they
To enhance growth and support MSMEs, the seek to use innovative methods to grow their
UPND administration will place a high priority on businesses and create jobs in the priority
establishing a stable and predictable policy sectors mentioned above.
environment that will promote private investment,
growth and job creation. We will also undertake the c. Youth Entrepreneurial Services Development
following initiatives: Program – this program will involve the
formation of functional Employment Services
Centres (ESC) that will focus on improving
access to employment opportunities.
Specifically, ESCs functions will include
outreach to jobseekers and firms, registration
of jobseekers, profiling and referrals to
opportunities. ESCs will also provide youths
with tailor-made support to improve
employability, including life-skills training
covering topics such as aspirations, self-
esteem, personal initiative, goal-setting,
decision-making, communication and
leadership. Young women will benefit from
dedicated mentoring to address pervasive
social barriers and boost self- confidence.
d. Promote development of MSMEs at the
community level to allow local access to all
daily and business essentials. This will drive
down the cost of doing business and reduce the
need for communities to travel to distant towns
and cities, whilst creating localised
employment opportunities.

e. Delivery of targeted tax incentives for start-ups

to allow breathing space in the first three years
when these businesses most often fail.

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Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Government
We believe that security and justice institutions that
The hallmark of our approach to government will be are democratically controlled - alongside an
to have a small, diverse and efficient government independent judiciary that can check the power of
characterized by proper planning, transparency and the legislature and executive including security
accountability in the management of public institutions - is absolutely critical to strengthening
resources. Further, the UPND shall run an open the rule of law. This, in turn, fosters development by
government that will work with the various
enhancing the voices of individuals and
stakeholders from the private sector and civil
communities through access to justice, ensuring due
society as true partners in development in areas of
process of the law and establishing remedies for the
policy and programme implementation. We will
violation of rights. To promote the law, justice and
ensure that all agreed or approved projects and security as an essential foundation for the wellbeing
programmes are implemented rigorously in an of the Zambian citizens, the UPND government
efficient, effective and timely manner. commits to:
In this regard, we commit to:

a. Put in place a strategy and action plan to

transform the public service so that it can a. Strengthen all relevant institutions to guarantee
manage affairs efficiently and with more security, safety, fundamental human rights, civil
exceptional professionalism to achieve liberties and justice.
sustainable growth, eliminate poverty and ad-
dress inequality. b. Modernize the operations of the judiciary to
speed up the dispensation of justice because
b. Develop more effective leadership and justice delayed is as good as justice denied.
management of a changing public service,
ensuring sectoral management capacities are c. Widen access to justice to all, particularly women
strengthened to manage significant and children as the basis for curbing gender-
transformations of sectors such as agriculture. based discrimination and exclusion.

c. Improve the capacity to formulate, analyse and d. Guarantee adequate funding to all institutions
implement policies. mandated to provide security, ensure safety and
dispense justice so that they can operate
d. Ensure that monitoring the implementation and autonomously, efficiently and effectively at all
impact of various policies and projects is times.
strengthened by improving the framework for
Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E). e. Mount a comprehensive training and capacity
building programme for all relevant institutions
e. Improve the capacity to make better decisions at to ensure that they are adequately trained and
the local level, as part of our decentralization can provide high-quality services to all citizens.
programme, so that the delivery of services is
more sensitive to people’s needs and ability to f. Support and strengthen the intelligence agencies
pay. to provide services that can deal with modern
threats such as money laundering, cross border
crime, human trafficking and environmental
Law, Justice and Security degradation.
The equitable provision of safety, security and
justice to all citizens is essential for the proper
functioning of our country. Lack of safety, security g. Ensure strict adherence to the rule of law and
and justice impedes the provision of, and access to, end selective application of the law to restore
other services such as education, health, water and faith in the country’s critical national
sanitation. The UPND government will be institutions of governance.
committed to the rule of law, justice, civil liberties,
the security of all the Zambian people and the
protection of private property.

13
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
14
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
 The Judiciary
Separation of Power
The UPND government will work to strengthen and a. Guarantee the independence of the judiciary so
preserve the integrity of the concept of separation of that it is impartial and effective in the
powers among the executive, the legislature and the interpretation of laws and administration of
judiciary, as provided for in the constitution. We justice;
believe that constructive relationships between b. Respect court judgments and orders to entrench
these three arms of government are essential to the the rule of law and enhance constitutionalism.
effective maintenance of the constitution and the
rule of law. The UPND government will, therefore, c. Separate the offices of the attorney general and
be committed to entrenching separation of powers minister of justice to improve the impartiality
and a system of checks and balances among these and objectivity when it comes to legal issues to
three branches of government to ensure which the government is an interested party.
accountability, responsiveness and openness. In
each of these constituent areas, we commit to The Legislature
undertake the following:
a. Support reform efforts to make Parliament
legislatively, administratively and financially
The Executive
autonomous so that it can play its rightful role
a. Ensure that the executive is duly accountable to as a bulwark of democracy.
the people of Zambia through the National
b. Support the National Assembly in staffing and
Assembly and the judiciary as the hallmark of
training the parliamentary budget office so that
servant leadership.
it becomes fully operational to support
b. Promote a culture of transparency and members of parliament in their role overseeing
accountability, especially amongst controlling the executive.
officers, who will be made to appear before the
c. Support the National Assembly in developing a
appropriate committees of parliament as a
strategic plan for its legislative agenda to ensure
matter of routine and sanctioning those who
that it meaningfully contributes to the country’s
choose to abdicate this particular responsibility.
development agenda.
c. Ensuring that the president has regular question
and answer sessions with the media, parliament
and opposition leaders.

d. Ensure regular engagement between the president

and the leaders of opposition parties to solidify
consensus behind the Vision 2030 while
ensuring a sense of unity of purpose.

e. Ensure that all cabinet ministers are appointed

based on competence for the portfolios assigned
to them to ensure that they meaningfully
contribute to the country’s overall national
development agenda.

f. Ensure that the role of ministers will be to Zero Tolerance to Corruption

provide strategic leadership and policy direction
to their respective ministries while reserving the
responsibility of overseeing the day-to-day
operations to controlling officers.

g. Subject all senior public officials to performance-

based contracts, which will be reviewed annually
to ensure that they are making tangible
contributions to the national development
agenda.

15
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Corruption Decentralisation
Little effort has been made by successive
Propelled by greed and selfishness, corruption has governments to support decentralisation by
become the most regressive pandemic in Zambia. It devolution because over time this will ensure the
has damaged the social and institutional fabric of transfer of power, ownership and responsibility of
the country. It is widespread and increasingly decision-making closer to the people. It also provides
becoming part of everyday life, with the risk of the rights of the local population to have a voice in
becoming an integral part of the fibre of our culture. government, and better protects minorities. While
Not only are public or official decisions, such as the the Decentralisation Policy and the Decentralisation
awarding of government contracts, bought and Implementation Plan (DIP) has been developed to
sold, but very often access to public service or the reflect Zambia’s vision and aspirations in good
exercise of a right, such as obtaining public governance, they have not been implemented.
documents, has to be paid for through illicit bribes.
Several mechanisms have supported the spread of The UPND Government commits to:
corruption and turned it into normal practice, with
upright civil servants removed from office. a. Actualise the provisions of the constitution by
Similarly, businesses that oppose corruption are ensuring that decentralization by devolution is
penalised through the withdrawal of their implemented.
operating licenses or by granting favour to their
competitors. b. Review and align the roles of the district
commissioners with the functions of the town
The UPND is fully committed to fighting this clerks/council secretaries;
scourge, based on a strong principle of zero
tolerance to corruption in all its forms. In addition c. Improve the capacities of local authorities to
to strengthening the Anti-Corruption Commission, make decisions and deliver services to the people
the UPND will increase the benefits of being honest at the local level.
and the costs of being corrupt. Besides this, the
UPND Government will: d. Review the role of provincial administrations to
ensure local level participation in governance.
a. Establish special fast track anti-corruption
courts to clear the backlog of outstanding Land Policy and Planning
corruption cases and expedite the conclusion of
similar cases going forward. Land administration services and management is
very critical to the development of the country. The
b. Ensure that all public offices will have open- absence of an all-inclusive national land policy has
door policies at all levels from the minister to made it challenging to address several obstacles that
the lowest technocrat. retard social progress, such as the indiscriminate
use of land and poor land development practices.
c. Ensure that all unclassified public records are
readily available and open to the public for There is a need to improve land administration and
scrutiny. management to place the country’s land
development on a sustainable path.
d. Ensure government officials declare any new
While the current land laws do not discriminate
wealth annually.
against anyone based on disability, there is a lack of
e. Conduct lifestyle audits, with any civil servant knowledge and appreciation among land
found wanting being suspended until a court administrators of the need to allocate land to people
ruling. with disabilities mainly because of the customs,
norms and beliefs that disabled people cannot use
f. Introduce unexplained wealth orders to allow the land productively. This stigma and prejudice
law enforcement to seize any property restrict these people with disabilities’ equal
purchased using means that cannot be proven involvement in land allocation and use.
within the courts of law.
The UPND Government’s land policy will seek
g. Launch “Operation Recovery”, to ensure public
money corruptly obtained is returned back to
the public.

16
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
to promote equitable access to land for all the c. Review the laws governing land, and the way land
citizens of Zambia: for both the poor and the is allocated to Zambians and non-Zambians
wealthy and irrespective of gender. We will d. Ensure that all players in the public and private
strengthen land tenure security and enhance sectors plan and efficiently manage land, which is a
sustainable and productive management of vital and limited resource.
land resources by upholding transparent and
cost-effective systems of administration. We e. Correct the indiscriminate use of land and poor
will thus: development practices by promoting orderly land
management.
a. Ensure the equality of citizens to access
land wherever they may be in Zambia. f. Ensure a disciplined land market and effective and
efficient land administration and management
b. Ensure citizens enjoy similar legal systems.
protection to own and transact in the land,
whether or not they are on state land or g. Ensure future urban development fits with the ethos
customary land. and image of the town or city, whilst reserving land
for recreational facilities and activities.

h.

Climate
Change
Climate change has created severe challenges for harvesting and land degradations have combined to
the economy. It could alter our way of life in accelerate deforestation, with dire implications for
fundamental ways over the coming decades if not the health and stability of critical aquifers and
met with an adequate response. With extreme ecosystems. Hence, fuelling tensions in human-
weather conditions having increased in both wildlife coexistence and among communities as
frequency and intensity, floods, droughts and fertile land and water sources become scarce.
prolonged dry spells are causing dramatic Climate change has intensified the challenges in the
declines and volatility in energy generation and energy crisis, thereby affecting other sectors through
agricultural capacities, especially for the rural prolonged hours of load shedding that have the
dwellers who are already vulnerable to severe potential for curtailing economic growth and long-
food insecurity. Extreme heat, charcoal term prosperity.

17
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
 While the agricultural sector will be the primary smart-urban programs, including waste-to-
focus of the UPND’s Government’s fight against energy programmes that complement electricity
the adverse effects of climate change, efforts will generation.
also be made to give as much attention as
possible to meeting adaptation needs in the c. Promoting climate-resilient public infrastructure,
other sectors such as energy, tourism and health, especially for rural roads and bridges, while
which are particularly vulnerable to the impacts strengthening the framework for disaster risk
of climate change. In this regard, we will need a management in line with the international best
holistic approach to dealing with the adverse practice, including the Sendai Framework for
effects of climate change. If not adequately Disaster Risk Reduction.
addressed, climate change could threaten our d. Noting the need to maintain fiscal prudence, we
ability to feed ourselves, to remain healthy and shall leverage blended financing and climate
safe from extreme weather and to manage finance facilities as well as de-risk mechanisms to
natural resources that support the country’s mobilize private resources towards climate
economy. The overriding objective on climate action.
change will be to increase resilience and improve
mechanisms for adaptation and remediation e. Strengthening institutions for effective
with the view to protecting livelihoods from the implementation of regulation and clean-up
impact of climate change, reducing green- house efforts, including in addressing legacy
gas (GHG) emissions and utilizing our nation’s environmental pollution by mining activities that
enormous natural wealth sustainably. We have affected communities’ health and presented
commit to strengthening the institutional socio-economic costs.
framework for implementing climate change f. Investing in schemes such as afforestation,
commitments to meet Zambia’s nationally catchment area conservation and improved
determined contributions of the Paris landscape management, especially at the local
Agreement under the United Nations level.
Convention on Climate Change (UNCCC).
g. Creating income-earning opportunities for rural
communities that participate in landscape
Some of the measures that the UPND management and GHG reduction activities by
government will undertake to mitigate the effects rolling out a national framework to reduce
of climate change will include: emissions from deforestation and forest
degradation under the REDD+ initiative. This
will set Zambia on the path to becoming a green
a. Investing in and empower institutions that economy with the ability to generate significant
have been established to coordinate and carbon credit revenues as an alternative to
implement climate change programmes. deforestation.
b. Integrating climate action into sector h. Scaling up activities of Zambia Forestry and
strategies, by promoting smart agricultural Forest Industry Corporation (ZAFFICO) to
practices; sustainable forestry, water and land increase the hectarage of land under sustainable
management; renewable energy resources; management practices.
ecotourism and
i. Changing agricultural practices, such as
diversifying livelihoods, promoting sustainable
land management, advancing gender equality and
improving smallholder farmers’ access to climate
information so that they build resilience to
climate change.
j. Building the capacity of local governments to
manage the impacts of climate change.
k. Strengthen the Zambia Environment
Management Authority by giving it more powers
to address issues affecting the environment.

18
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Economic Sector Programmes
becoming the breadbasket for the region while
Agriculture and Agro-Processing increasing its agriculture exports globally. In this
vein, we shall strive to make Zambia a player in
Agriculture is the critical priority sector in the growth the global agriculture supply chain.
and poverty reduction agenda of the UPND
government. Over 60 percent of the population Against this backdrop, the UPND Government
derives its livelihood from agriculture, yet the sector will implement a comprehensive programme of
has not been fully exploited. The main constraints in agricultural transformation as a key to boosting
the sector include dilapidated agricultural support labour productivity and increasing agricultural
infrastructure; inadequate delivery of extension production. It is only through the agrarian
service; and natural disasters such as drought and transformation that we will be able to end hunger
floods due to climate change. Other challenges are low and under-nutrition while accelerating economic
productivity among small-scale farmers; poor land growth. We will, therefore, restructure the sector
husbandry practices; inadequate value addition due to focus on activities and interventions that raise
to a lack of fully developed agro-industries resulting productivity and drive the modernisation of
in the export of raw materials; inadequate agricultural agriculture. We will ensure that the critical
finance and credit; and high dependence on one crop, preconditions for agricultural transformation,
maize, especially by the small-scale farmers. which include the stability of the political
economy, the long-term consistency of policies
Under the UPND Zambia will aim to feed itself, and an acknowledgement

19
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
of the importance of public investment in the sector, as an integrated service for commercializing
are put in place. Ultimately, we envisage increasing the sector.
agriculture’s contribution to economic growth by not Enhance agricultural diversification away
only increasing production for food security but also from maize and mitigate natural shocks such
boosting agro-processing and manufacturing for both as drought by growing drought-resistant
domestic and export markets. To achieve this agenda, crops, which will also be widening the
we will prioritize the following areas: agricultural export base.
1. Agricultural Productivity – agricultural Promote small and medium scale agro- based
productivity in Zambia significantly falls short of and non-agricultural industries.
the minimum required thresholds to deliver
profitability for farmers, food security, nutritional Increase the irrigable acreage to ensure
needs, job creation and poverty reduction. This sustained food security.
low productivity is attributed to the use of
inefficient production techniques and inadequate Partner with banks and insurance companies
access to agricultural inputs, among other factors. to develop insurance products that can help
The UPND Government will improve agricultural farmers increase their access to insurance
productivity to meet household and national food and mitigate against risks such as droughts
security en route to becoming the regional and floods due to climate change.
breadbasket. More specifically, the UPND
Strengthen climate resilience through
Government will do the following: improved farming methods, climate-
Gradually create a pathway to reduce dependence resilient seed varieties and irrigation.
on harmful chemicals in farming and move
2. Agricultural Extension Services – we will
towards more soil friendly organic farming and
ensure that the provision of agricultural
use of natural soil enhancement methods.
extension services and access to appropriate
Ensure access to affordable agricultural inputs technology is an integral part of our agrarian
such as fertilizers, chemicals and pesticides, and revolution. In particular, the UPND
machinery working closely with the private sector government will pursue an extension strategy
through a supportive business environment. that will not only ensure national food
security but will also improve rural
Partner with the private sector to ease access to livelihoods. The UPND government commits
and ensure availability of low-cost finance to to undertake the following:
farmers.
Review and update the extension policy and
Establish agro-input manufacturing industries in strategy taking into account the needs of
partnership with the private sector to produce different groups of farmers to ensure they are
seed, fertilizer, and tools such as ploughs, served in the best possible manner.
tractors, pesticides etc.
Revive and strengthen all farmer training
Promote the establishment of permanent agro- and research institutes across the country to
dealer networks across the country to facilitate respond to farmers’ needs and challenges to
the distribution of agricultural inputs even in raise agricultural productivity.
remote areas.
Increase funding for agricultural extension
Provide targeted farm input packages including services, including incentivising extension
livestock through pass-on programmes, fertilizer, personnel so that they can perform their role
seed and appropriate farming technologies to with dedication and commitment.
vulnerable groups of small-scale farmers.
Promote mechaniaation of agriculture with
Provide targeted research-based information
about agricultural production, marketing,
distribution and regional market access
opportunities,

20
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
 appropriate technology to enhance growth and 4. Agri-business development – this will
productivity while taking into account the specific involve value addition in the entire value
challenges of each farming community. chain system, from providing inputs to
farmers to connecting with consumers,
Pilot community-owned commercial farming as well as marketing and distribution. We will
enterprises in each district to demonstrate farm rebrand the agriculture sector as an
mechanisations; use of improved technologies attractive, commercially viable and
such as improved seed and artificial modernised occupation, especially among the
insemination; best farm management practices youth who generally consider farming to be
and agricultural marketing. arduous and an occupation for older people.
We will prioritize women and youth by
Develop and rehabilitate communal
undertaking the following.
infrastructure such as dip-tanks and agricultural
camps to service delivery closer to the com-
munities. Implement programmes to improve the
youth’s and women’s access to land to allow
Improve public information services on them to set up or expand agricultural
meteorological events and market information, businesses.
such as regional prices for crops, to help farmers
sell their products to the right areas. Encourage value chain addition and agro-
processing to improve the gross margins for
3. Market Access – Farmers have been heavily farmers to maximise returns on their
constrained by limited access to markets, mainly investment.
because of poor infrastructure such as roads in
rural areas, inadequate availability and supply of Improve the youth and women’s access to
agricultural information, and insufficient access financial services by developing suitable
to financing. A key focus will be placed on credit and finance facilities.
connecting the farmer to upstream domestic and
international markets with the view to increasing Improve overall access to capital, including
farmer’s share in final products. To facilitate domestic and foreign direct investments, for
market access, the UPND government will the modernisation of agriculture.
undertake the following:
Organise women and youths into farmer
Promote farmer clubs and agricultural cooperatives and other social solidarity
cooperatives to increase economies of scale and initiatives (especially in rural areas) to
competitiveness as well as enhance bargaining improve their image as suitable partners for
power and financial accessibility. financial service providers.

Strengthen the agro-value chains to enable Increase the youth and women’s access to
farmers to get access to finance for their farm inputs and agricultural technology,
production but also generate access to markets such as machinery to increase productivity.
for their products.

Prioritise the grading of rural roads to open up

rural areas for enhanced agricultural production.

Increase access to agricultural finance through the

establishment of an agrarian financing bank
targeting only agricultural-related business and
farming.

21
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Energy

Energy is the backbone for development, serving

humanity and driving economic growth. Zambia’s
main economic sectors - mining, agriculture, Overall, the real losers are ordinary Zambians.
tourism, and trading - all depend on equitable and They not only face the indignity of more load
secure access to energy. However, investment in shedding but also higher prices for some products,
the sector has not grown in proportion to the as companies pass on some of the costs to the
demand for electricity. With the effects of climate consumers. The situation is more difficult in rural
change on water levels in the Zambezi River Basin, Zambia, where only 5 percent of the population has
especially in the Kariba Dam, the situation has access to the electricity supply.
become dire and the country is currently facing a
power deficit.

This situation highlights the need for Zambia to

ZESCO has been load-shedding power even to
increase and diversify its electricity generation
productive sectors, thereby slowing economic
capacity and enhance energy efficiency. It calls for
growth, driving job losses and disrupting
concerted efforts by all stakeholders - the
livelihoods. Reduced power generation has
government, cooperating partners, private sector,
affected revenues for companies and contributed to
academia, civil society, media and the general
a loss of economic opportunities, particularly for
citizenry - to work together and find practical
the small-scale businesses that cannot afford to
solutions.
run their own generators. This, in turn, has had
real impacts on the fiscal deficit position and The UPND government will ensure that the energy
Zambia’s debt levels, including debt carryovers sector has steady and transparent policies,
from ZESCO. The energy crisis is fuelling an particularly around shifting focus towards
environmental disaster, as increased charcoal alternative renewable energy sources to ensure an
production and use for the urban population poses end to load shedding whilst ensuring sufficient
a threat to sustainable natural resource capacity to power our economic growth.
management, including the ecosystem of aquifers
which support this sector.

22
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
We will:
f. Scale-up the program of rural electrification
a. Deliver affordable and clean energy through the
through the extension of the grid network and
implementation of an ambitious Renewable
deployment of off-grid electrification solutions
Energy Investment Plan that will improve the
energy mix. This will reduce our vulnerability to g. Accelerate the integration of transmission
climate shocks by leveraging the declining cost projects to improve access to the regional
of technologies to harness our vast solar power markets.
resources, complemented with wind and
geothermal energy. h. Restructure ZESCO to improve its operations,
autonomy and efficiency that will ensure the
b. Ensure a cost-reflective and steady tariff that company’s long-term financial sustainability.
allows investors to continue investing in the
sector. i. Restructure the fuel supply model to ensure
fuel security and remove middle men from the
c. Diversify the geography of large-scale electricity supply chain.
generation sources, including through PPP
initiatives, to ensure sufficient generation in
each province. The UPND government will play a supportive role
by providing an enabling policy environment to
d. Scale-up investments in off-grid solutions, by attract private investment into the sector. With the
de-risking investments in communal right policy and investment climate, Zambia will
infrastructure. become an energy powerhouse, meeting its
national energy requirements and exporting to the
e. Minimise transmission and distribution losses
entire SADC region.
and enhance the overall reliability of the
electricity network.

Transport and Logistics

Transport and other logistics services such as activity, trade and development as they form the
warehousing, clearing and forwarding, and border backbone of the economy. As Zambia’s economic
services are imperative for facilitating economic activities and trade have increased over time, the
value-addition of transportation service
activities has also grown in tandem.

23
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
However, investments in transport infrastructure themselves are non-existent. Furthermore,
have been one-sided, with the primary focus being innovative approaches to integrate the airport
road transport infrastructure. While road transport into the cities where they are located (e.g.,
is critical for a vast landlocked country with many overnight tourism passes into the city) are
neighbours - particularly for connecting hinterlands lacking.
and rural agricultural communities to towns, cities
and regional markets - it requires considerably The UPND government will, therefore, pay
higher maintenance, repair and rehabilitation costs attention to balancing investments in road and
than equivalent rail infrastructure. This is especially rail infrastructure going forward, leveraging PPPs
true of the bulk road haulage of commodities like that provide balanced fiscal risks and aligning
copper, agricultural bulk goods, etc. The lack of cost- with the medium-term budgetary headroom
effective, bulk commodity freight options such as rail (capacity). Under the UPND, Zambia will draw
also has a significant impact on the overall cost of increasingly on bilateral as well as joint regional
transport services in Zambia. infrastructure development and transport trade
facilitation arrangements under the African
Also, local transporters are benefiting far less from
Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), COMESA
the country’s immense public investment in road
and SADC.
infrastructure than their foreign counterparts. The
country has been spending colossal sums of money The overriding objective of the UPND government
on imported transport services because the bulk of in the transport sector is to strengthen domestic
the transportation business is captured by foreign and regional connectivity, with the view to
operatives plying the Zambian roads. In the process, connecting producers with markets, supporting
imported transportation services have increased participation in regional and global value chains,
disproportionately more than domestic services. lowering the cost of doing business, enhancing
Zambia’s balance of payments expenditure on competitiveness, and improving public service
imported transportation services increased from delivery. In this regard, the UPND government
US$210 million in 2004 to US$957 million in 2018. will prioritise rational and balanced public
investment in road and rail infrastructure, which
An age-old problem in Zambia has been the
leverages PPPs and FDIs and is founded on a track
significant public investment focus on urban
record of good governance and sound economic
transportation infrastructure and main artery
management. We will also ensure that local
national and regional interconnectors, much to the
transporters benefit from public investment in
neglect of rural transportation infrastructure service
road infrastructure and that the modernisation
development. Connecting rural areas and
and commercialisation of the aviation sector
communities, particularly agricultural communities,
brings positive returns on investment. We will
to national and regional commercial centres, the
establish the right environment for ensuring that
maintenance, repair, rehabilitation and upgrade of
domestic economic actors thrive from public
rural transport networks, systems and infrastructure
investment. We, therefore, commit to the
services, is crucial.
following:
In the aviation sector, Zambia has opted to invest
a. Ensure an effective transport policy for sup-
extensively in many international airports, but
porting efficient and equitable licensing and
without robust commercialization strategies for
registration procedures as well as the fair
these airports. Modernisation and digitisation
distribution of and access to economic and
strategies to turn the airports into high- functioning
transport business opportunities, through
world-class international establishments
transparent and impartial procurement and
that are end-destinations or logistical hubs in
contracting rules and practices.
b. Ensure an effective policy for guaranteeing the
full participation of local private transporters
in the transport services sector.

24
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
 co-ordination and coherence between
c. Enhance coherence between transport policy and trade-in-services and monetary policies.
trade, commercial and industrial policies, to
support the upgrading of domestic services and g. Ensure innovative and effective aviation sub-
integration into regional and global transportation sector policies and strategies, which modernise,
value chains. integrate and commercialise the airports and
maximise the return investment from these
d. Promote PPPs and FDI in the transportation sector
establishments.
to improve both the capitalisation prospects for the
private sector and the future fiscal revenue stream h. Ensure inclusive rural transportation development
for the government from the past public and progress through higher prioritisation of
investments. public investments in the maintenance, repair,
rehabilitation and upgrading of rural
e. Bring advanced technology to border post transportation networks, systems and
management to ensure efficiency and transparency
infrastructure services, particularly feeder roads
in the movement of goods and people that ultimately connect rural agrarian
f. Establish proactive services import communities to commercial centres.
demand management policies and
i. Taking advantage of Zambia’s geographical
strategies through balance of payments,
location to transform Zambia into a regional hub
for road, rail and air logistics.

Mining
Mining is also instrumental to domestic commerce
The mining sector remains a significant part of the through mine suppliers and the supply of raw
Zambian economy, accounting for over nine percent materials to industry.
of GDP and 70 percent of export earnings. The sector
is also a significant source of government revenue The main challenges the sector faces include the
and formal employment, both directly and lack of local participation in this industry, a lack of
indirectly. We have a long history of mining and a transparency and accountability regarding revenue
large known resource base of copper, emeralds, gold management, and uncertainties about energy
and other deposits, with potential for further supply and property rights. Other challenges
discoveries. include the lack of consistency surrounding fiscal
policy and the lack of support for diversifying the
economy and leveraging of infrastructure for the
general population.

25
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Besides, there is no effective use of local products d. Promote small-scale mining as it has closer
and services, resulting in more than 90 percent of links with the local economy, generates more
goods and services used by the mining industry local jobs and supports the retention of earnings
being imported. within the country.

As a result, the country has not managed to convert e. Put in place a policy and plan to facilitate local
its mineral wealth fully for the benefit of the ownership and increased participation of
Zambian people. As UPND, we seek to optimise the Zambian players in the industry.
economic value extracted from our mineral wealth f. Put in place policies and regulatory frame-
to the benefit of not only current but also our future works that address the uncertainties of energy
generations. We, therefore, commit to: supplies and property rights.
a. Undertake a major mining sector policy reform g. Put in place a national supplier development
including tax policy and administration reform policy for the mining industry to increase the
that will bring various stakeholders on board to local supply of goods and services to the
design a sound policy and administration industry; and
system, with broad policy consideration that
will stand the test of time. h. Work with the communities and the investors to
ensure that the development agreements
b. Enhance monitoring and oversight entered into with the Government balance the
mechanisms and technologies to reliably provision of incentives with concerns of the
ascertain the volume and content of mining communities such as environmental impact and
output for taxation purposes to ensure labour issues. We shall also collaborate with
Zambians receive their fair share. investors to scale-up the clean-up of legacy
c. Promote diversification both within the copper environmental damage build up over the years.
sub-sector through the extension of the copper
value chain, and from copper to other minerals
by promoting exploration and processing of
gemstones and industrial minerals.

Tourism and job creation. Zambia is blessed with many

tourism hotspots including 20 national parks, 34
Zambia’s vast natural beauty, wildlife and
game management areas, four major rivers, 16
attractions make the tourism sector one of the vital
major waterfalls including the mighty Mosi-o-
economic sectors that can significantly contribute
Tunya Falls, eight freshwater lakes, diverse wildlife
to economic diversification and more than 780 bird species.

26
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
 It is undeniably one of Africa’s most pleasurable maintaining museums and restoring information on
destinations. However, tourism to Zambia falls far cultural and natural heritage.
short of the sector’s full potential, with fewer foreign k. Develop pricing mechanisms that favour Zambians
visitors than comparable countries. Similarly, the and off-season marketing to boost local tourism.
average visitor stay in Zambia is also lower than our
neighbours. As a result, the tourism sector’s l. Strengthen partnerships with other countries to
contribution to GDP is meagre at about three improve wildlife populations.
percent. Considering the devastating effects of
m. Strengthen academic credentials for the hospitality
COVID-19 on the tourism sector, one of the UPND
industry.
government’s first acts will be to take deliberate,
calculated steps to foster the sector’s economic
recovery.
Manufacturing
The UPND government will revamp and increase the
The manufacturing sector holds the key to Zambia’s
tourism sector’s contribution to the economy and
economic transformation by producing higher- value
employment. We commit to:
goods and services, generating better-paying jobs,
a. Maintain a stable economic landscape to reduce and encouraging innovation and improved
the cost of doing business, including processes. Despite Zambia’s great endowment in raw
streamlining license acquisition, easing tax materials, energetic labour force, abundant land,
compliance, visa processing and exemptions, and water and vast minerals resources, the sector’s
improving connectivity. contribution to the country’s GDP, at under 10
percent, has been insufficient for wealth creation and
b. Put in place a robust tourism marketing strategy employment.
to incorporate all tourism products including
traditional ceremonies, visual arts, culture,
heritage sites and others.
c. Promote tourism diversification to other products
in addition to the Mosi-o-Tunya Falls.
d. Improve data collection of tourism-related
statistics to help make informed policy decisions.
e. Ensuring each province has an international
airport for improved accessibility while providing
incentives for domestic and foreign airlines to
ensure full utilization of airport facilities and
transformation of Zambia into a regional tourist
and transit hub.
f. Open up the northern tourism circuit (Northern,
Luapula and Muchinga Provinces) to enhance
tourist flows in that area of great potential.
g. Establish public policies and investment strategies
that benefit and include local Zambians in the
ownership and operation of tourism services and
enterprises in the country.
h. Enhance involvement of communities in the
management of Game Management Areas
(GMAs) through Community Resource Boards
and enhance the benefits of GMAs and their
conservation to local communities and wildlife.
i. Protect our wildlife by tightening regulations for
hunting as well as the processing, sale, import and
export of wild animals and trophies.
j. Strengthen the national historical framework by

27
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
The key challenge facing manufacturing is the Financial services
attitude of the government towards the private A world class financial services sector is critical to
sector. Specifically, the government needs to resolve attracting investment in the economy. The UPND
government will introduce legislation that widens the
its ambivalence on the role of the private sector in
scope, and lowers the cost of financial services available
its development strategy. For instance, there is a
to large sections of the Zambian population. This
need for more government discipline in fiscal affairs includes legislation that encourages the provision of
to address the range of adverse impacts on private such services as retail banking, credit ratings, credit
sector development that arise from macroeconomic finance, consumer finance and other types of finance
instability. For example the high-interest rates and at affordable rates.
restricted access to capital for private firms as
government’s high borrowing on the domestic In addition, the UPND government will create an
market crowds out the private sector. enabling environment supported by strong regulation
to support Zambia’s financial sector development and
Considering the strategic importance of the evolution towards a digital economy. This includes
manufacturing sector in job creation and economic strong data protection laws and reduced barriers to
growth, the UPND government’s task will be to lay entry for innovative new entrants in the financial
the foundation for a steady rise in manufacturing technology space (FinTechs).
output to at least 15 percent of GDP by 2026 and 25
percent of GDP by 2031. We, therefore, commit to: In light of rising cases of abuse of office in both the
private and public sectors, a key focus of our effort
n. Reformulate and implement a well-balanced will be legislation aimed at improving the corporate
MSME development policy to suit the needs of governance environment in the country. This will
Zambian businesses on the ground. include strengthening qualifications for directors and
board appointments and insolvency laws (qualification
o. MSME financing, the establishment of
and appointment of practitioners) to guard against
industrial parks, and reservation of government
recent cases of blatant abuse of the process by
contracts for manufacturing firms.
political players. In addition, existing laws relating to
p. Consult with all key stakeholders in addressing illicit financial flows will be strengthened.
the various challenges affecting the growth of
the manufacturing industry in the country. We will strengthen the capacity and autonomy of the
central bank (Bank of Zambia) so as to reduce political
q. Create an enabling macroeconomic interference in its operations. We will also enact
environment, strengthen the public agencies strong investment banking regulations to ensure that
that support private sector development and investors such as pension funds are protected from
enhance public-private dialogue. rogue private and public players.

r. Improve regulatory frameworks and remove

administrative barriers to business entry and Science and Technology
operations and facilitate the development of
high growth sectors. The UPND recognizes the catalytic nature of science
and technology in driving innovation in all sectors of
s. Ensure fiscal discipline and minimise the economy. The technology driven and knowledge-
government borrowing in the local market so as based economy that we aspire to have requires the
not to crowd out the private sector. harnessing of all our human capital and ingenuity.
t. Introduce targeted policy incentives which
The UPND will ensure that science and technology
attract large capital inflows with required
are correctly applied in the development, support and
Zambian equity participation.
marketing of products and services by investing in
u. Ensure policy linkages with education to build research to develop new technologies relevant to our
a skilled labour market which attracts capital country. Promotion of the digital economy, in addition
into target industries. to the general advancement of knowledge and skills,
shall be one of our focus areas. We shall achieve this
by investing more in educational facilities that offer
training in this sector. With appropriate government
support the digital economy is expected to be a major
area of opportunity for our youths.

The alignment of the content of the educational

curriculum with the needs of industry will create an
28
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
interdependent relationship that generates home- pay well for all arts and cultural products, and (ii) the
grown solutions to our developmental problems Practitioners of arts and culture should produce
whilst also generating highly skilled and well- quality products to satisfy both the local and
paying jobs. international market.
We shall ensure that the various arts disciplines in
Zambia, notably those affiliated with the NAC, are
Innovative technological solutions will be rewarded engaged to ensure that job creation and business
and supported by government using legislative and opportunities in their respective fields are supported.
financial incentives.
The UPND will promote Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in schools
to ensure that students are equipped for jobs of the
future, and to support the development of science
and technology industries.

Research and development will be supported by

the government through better management and
investment in the Science and Technology
Institutions. These institutions will lead and
collaborate with industry and the wider private
sector in developing relevant innovation for our
economy.

The application of science and technology to all

aspects of government will help reduce corruption,
make provision of services more efficient and help
benefit all those who struggle to access and
benefit from government services.

Arts, and Culture

Development of the arts culture as a
Viable Industry
The UPND appreciates the establishment of the
National Arts Council of Zambia (NAC) whose
motto of “PUTTING VALUE ON THE ARTS” sits
well with the party’s aspiration in this very
important yet neglected sector. We shall pay full
attention to the NAC motto, which is
fundamental to the development and support of
the arts and culture sector as a viable industry.

The UPND will realise the long-held dream of

arts and culture practitioners that arts ought to
run under the microscopic eye of the Ministry of
Arts. In addition to contributing to the gross
domestic product (GDP), as is the case in
Nigeria and South Africa, we shall actualize the
abundant job, innovation and business
opportunities in the arts sector.
Some of the arts and cultural products that need
serious development and support include: Film,
Theatre, Music, Traditional Dance, Fine Arts
(Writing) Visual Arts (Painting and Sculpture)
and Crafts (Basketry, Beads, Tie & Batiks), and
Fashion which thrives on the textile industry.

we in the UPND believe and understand the

NAC’s moto in two regards: (i) the industry must
29
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
 Sports and recreation
A WINNING ZAMBIA:

All provinces and districts should create localised,

systematic and effective high-performance sports

systems and programmes that feed into the national

system and programmes.

SUPPORT SYSTEMS:

To identify and develop support mechanisms,

Overall, the proposed UPND Sports Policy aims to strategies and programmes to ensure the achievement
turn Zambia into the most physically active nation of all policy objectives situated within the pillars of the
in Africa, a continental sports powerhouse and a 2020-2030 sport policy framework (i.e., A prosperous
global leader in the use of sports as a tool for and sustainable Zambia, An Active and A winning
sustainable development. The policy Africa).
acknowledges, recognizes and builds upon a
number of previous national and international
policies, which signifies the desire of Zambia to
develop and implement progressive policies.

Crucially, the proposed sports policy reflects the

UPND’s desire to harmonise and align all policies
with the UPND’s 2030 agenda and vision of a
united and prosperous Zambia. In addition, the
policy aligns and delivers key national policies
(e.g., in health, tourism, education) and
international policies including the UN Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), AU Sport policy
framework 2020 – 2030, Kazan Action Plan.

The UPND Sports Policy for Sustainable

Development is aimed at building sustainable
sports structures and programmes in line with the
overarching priorities of the UPND 2030 Agenda.
It is also meant to inspire national sports actors to
feel obliged and proud to fulfil the set national
sports goals within the 4 policy pillars. These are: a
prosperous and sustainable Zambia; an active
Zambia; a wining Zambia, and support systems.

A PROSPEROUS AND SUSTAINABLE ZAMBIA:

All Zambian sports bodies recognised by the

National Sport Council of Zambia should use sport
and recreation as a tool for sustainable
development and contributor towards prosperous
and united Zambia.

AN ACTIVE ZAMBIA:

All national sports actors should create eco-

friendly, inclusive and culturally embedded sports
and physical activities for all citizens.

30
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Social Sector Programmes

Education
a. Increase the share of education in the
Education, a pillar of human capital national budget in line with the country’s
development, is critical for rapid socio- commitment at the international level.
economic development. The deterioration
in Zambia’s standard of education from b. Reform the bursary and student loan
pre-school to university has reduced our system so that students who cannot afford
competitiveness in the world. With a world to pay school or university fees can take up
driven by knowledge, there is a need for their places. Under this system, every
immediate action to be taken to restore student who wants to study will be able to
our education system to international study regardless of financial status, with
standards. any recoveries deferred until they are
financially capable of doing so.
While Zambia has had well-written
strategies for the sector, they have not c. Provide a platform for the government to
been actualised. As such, instead of the engage with professors, teachers, scholars
sector being prioritised, its budget and students through a consultative and
allocations have been reduced over the non-confrontational approach.
years from 20.2 percent of the budget in
2015 to 12.4 percent in the 2020 budget. d. Develop education-industry linkages and
This is at odds with international foster innovation and entrepreneurship to
ensure graduates will have relevant and
commitments to provide at least 20
employable skills.
percent of the national budget to the
education sector. e. Respect, support, empower and reward our
The UPND Government commits to re- teachers, tutors and lecturers for their noble
aligning the education sector programmes cause.
and National Development Plan to
f. Promote culture, arts and sport, where
prioritise the education, science and skills
employment opportunities remain
development sector as one of the key
unrealistic as an integral part of our
potential sectors for job creation and
national development.
economic development in the country. We
will ensure that we provide quality and g. Ensure girl children have equal access to
equitable access to education as well as education as boy children by tracking and
efficient management of the sector. The addressing challenges that girl children face
UPND shall look at curriculum content so such as child marriages, menstrual hygiene
that it is revitalised to meet Zambia’s and pregnancies.
development aspirations and goals. This
will include a focus on entrepreneurship h. Put in place policies that will address the
instead of focusing on passing a test whose effects of pandemics like COVID-19 that has
content is far removed from a young brought education to a standstill for many
person’s ability to manage their immediate young people. These will include e-learning
environment, support their wellbeing, and e-provision and the use of ICT in all schools.
create or find a job. We will promote
policies that will address the core barriers i. Developing incentives for industry players
to access to education and ensure that to take on students and graduates, allowing
established standards for quality them to gain practical experience and build
education are met and enforced. relationships, ensuring employment
opportunities.
In this regard, we commit to:
j. Improve quality and range of education
courses available, combined with
respectable education facilities.

31
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Health and Nutrition
Development partners have been an all-weather friend to Zambia
Development is not possible without a healthy in terms of health system strengthening and service delivery
population. Health is not only a social imperative promotion. The UPND will work closely with development
but also an economic asset as a second pillar of partners by creating a conducive, inclusive and consultative
human capital development. However, there are environment in the health sector. With the lessons from the
still vast inequalities in health and health care, COVID-19 pandemic, the world has again been reminded
about the importance of focusing on preventive community
especially between rural and urban areas. Also,
public health and primary health care.
health services are in decline, with long queues
for treatment, unsanitary and inadequate
facilities, high prices, non-availability of Health is inextricably linked to nutrition. For example, 40
medicines and a shortage of qualified personnel. percent of Zambian children are stunted due to poor
Consequently, most citizens who can afford to or nutrition, putting the country among the top 20 nations for
who have government connections end up rates of stunting globally and the tenth worst in Africa.
seeking medical services abroad, costing Stunting makes children more susceptible to disease and
government colossal sums of money. Health infection but also impairs their mental or cognitive
services in this country are in critical need of development. Our agricultural policies and crop diversity, in
strong, systematic refocusing and systems particular, should support nutrition and feeding adjustments,
strengthening. especially for pregnant and lactating women and children, to
produce favourable health outcomes.
Basing our re-orientation approach on the
conventional modes of health service delivery, The UPND Government commits to:
the UPND will prioritize health financing
improvement, the securing of medicines and a. Introduce policies to improve the mobilising,
non- medical supplies, rebuilding the human utilising and accounting for health financing
resources for health, securing modern health resources, eventually enhancing the quality of
equipment or state-of-the-art service delivery at health care and services.
all levels, a rational approach to health
b. Ensure rural and urban communities are involved
infrastructure maintenance, and the efficient use in the planning and delivery of health services
and strengthening of health information and through a return to a more balanced focus
data systems. Equally importantly, we will re- between preventive community public health and
orient the health system towards the efficient, primary health care on the one hand and higher-
effective, productive and equitable level hospital health care on the other.
combination of these traditional health inputs to
provide quality health care equitably to all c. Improve the quality and availability of micro-
Zambians everywhere in the country. community level care and health services and to
enhance the general health status of the community.
32
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
d. Partner with the private sector to create centres of
specialisation so that Zambians can access
specialised health care locally, whilst also attracting
regional medical tourism.

e. Reformation of the National Health Insurance

system to ensure the benefits of the system are
available to all citizens.

f. Work with development partners to ensure that

health care inputs are secured, well- utilized and fully
accounted for, to the benefit to the Zambian people,
whilst gradually ensuring Zambia progresses
towards eventual self-sufficiency.

g. Ensure training of health personnel meets

international standards.

Social Protection

UPND will improve social cash transfers which shall help d. Empower Zambian women and young people,
boost standards of living for disadvantaged Zambians: not through consumption-based freebies, but
people who are vulnerable to poverty and in need of state rather via:
support. These generally will include older people, people
with disabilities, and some people with young children. • Free education
• Access to land
UPND shall depoliticise the social cash transfer scheme • Business opportunities
and ensure budget allocation is enhanced. • Meaningful employment
• Participation in governance.
Youth, Women & Persons with Disabilities

One of the major challenges facing Zambia is the

lack of gender balance, as well as the lack of
youths and people with disabilities in political
leadership, business leadership and decision-
making positions. UPND has observed some
trends in the barriers to women, youths and
people with disabilities’ equal participation and
representation in politics, commerce and decision
making.

To this effect the UPND Government shall:

a. Strive to achieve equality of

representation for gender in all position of
government.

b. Not discriminate against any Zambian in

based on creed, tribe, gender, physical
ability or political affiliation.

c. Promote a culture of meritocracy as the

norm rather than the exception in making
appointments to national positions.
33
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
 Water and Sanitation Major Reforms to be under-taken
One of the objectives of the Vision 2030 is to
provide secure access to safe potable water sources Governance
and improved sanitation facilities to 100 percent of Good governance entails transparency,
the population in both urban and rural areas. This,
accountability, consultation and dialogue between
therefore, places the Water Sanitation and Hygiene the governors and the governed. To achieve this,
(WASH) sector among the expenditure priority there must be watchdog institutions that ensure a
focus areas for the government in the planning level playing field in the area of governance.
frameworks. However, this sector does not get Fundamental among such institutions is an
adequate resources. As a result, Zambia’s statistics independent judiciary, a free press, and an active
in the WASH sector remain poor. For example, 35 civil society.
percent of the Zambian population has no access to
clean water, 56 percent are without sanitation, and Zambians need a government which understands
there are 1,000 reported child deaths every year that holding public office is about service to the
from diarrhoea. In addition, more than 25 percent nation and not about reaping the personal benefit.
of basic schools do not have access to safe water Strong institutions of governance have a direct
supply and sanitation. bearing on the development of a country. These
institutions will ensure that no one is above the
The UPND Government commits to ensuring that
law.
the objective of the Vision 2030 of providing
secure access to safe potable water sources and In this regard, the UPND government commits to:
improved sanitation facilities to 100 percent of the
population in both urban and rural areas is
a. Establish a durable constitutional order that
achieved. In this regard, we commit to:
will catalyse the political, economic and social
a. Increase budget allocation and release such development of the country.
allocation timely – The inadequate provision
of water supply and sanitation and non- b. Complete the constitutional reform agenda,
release of such funds is not a saving to the anchored on a broad-based consensus among
government purse but rather a health hazard all Zambians.
that causes much more resources to be used
by the health sector to fight the epidemics c. Domesticate key international and regional
this causes. So, it ends up being a ‘lose-lose’ conventions to uphold good governance.
game. On the other side, increased funding
to the WASH sector would reduce the
disease burden and consequently reduce the d. Revive the process of expanding the Bill of
resources required by the health sector, Rights to integrate economic, social and
resulting in a ‘win-win’ situation. cultural rights.

b. Revive the sector advisory group for the

WASH sector to create a forum where there e. Guarantee independence and autonomy of the
will be continuous interaction and judiciary, a free press, and an active civil
engagements by all stakeholders. This will society.
also provide a mechanism through which the
government will get feedback in real- time to
offer informed interventions and address
any challenges that may arise during
programme implementation.

c. Enhance monitoring and evaluation (M&E)

to ensure value for money for WASH
expenditures. We will come up with
mechanisms to partner with stakeholders in
the sector to provide effective M&E,
including through national WASH IMIS to
plan and report accurately.

34
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Electoral reforms c. Restructure the ECZ and ensure that its
legal department is capable both in
Although the Electoral Commission of Zambia terms of financial and human resources
(ECZ) is guided by the Electoral Commission Act to carry out legal and other related
No. 24 of 1996, its role in conducting legal and research aimed at improving the
electoral reforms is not elaborated. This, therefore, operations of the ECZ.
means that it has no formal mandate to fulfil its
task. However, it does have administrative and
Public Order
regulatory powers to initiate legislation on the
conduct of elections, which is only in the form of The Public Order Act has several good
statutory instruments like the electoral code of intentions in so far as it provides a regulatory
conduct and conflict management regulations. framework within which we are all supposed to
undertake our various activities so that peace
Some of the weaknesses ECZ faces include its
and unity continue to prevail in our country.
structural limitations where, for instance, the
For example, section 3 of the Public Order Act
commission lacks autonomy as its commissioners
prohibits uniforms and flags in connection
are appointed by and therefore answerable and
with political objectives; section 4 prohibits
accountable to the sitting republican president.
any quasi-military organization. Similarly,
Further, the commission has no autonomy in section 10 prohibits weapons in public places.
initiating and drafting electoral bills and taking These provisions are very well intended, and
them to parliament as it relies on the executive the UPND does not think any Zambian would
through the Ministry of Justice to do this. Thus, have anything against them.
the commission can only make legislative and
The main challenge, however, is concerning
policy recommendations to the Ministry of Justice.
section 5 of the Public Order Act, and in
Moreover, the ministry exercises discretion over
particular, subsection 4, that requires a person
what it chooses to take on board.
who intends to assemble or convene a public
Another limitation the commission faces is that its meeting, procession or demonstration to give
legal department is minimal, currently comprised the police at least seven days’ notice of that
of only two lawyers. Also, the ECZ does not have person’s intentions. While the Act only
autonomous funding and depends heavily on the requires giving the police at least seven days’
executive for its operational budget. Because it has notice, the application of this law has been to
no formal mandate to review electoral legislation, prohibit opposition political party to hold
most activities in this area are simply not budgeted public meetings. In some instances, the police
for. have even gone further to ban opposition
The UPND Government commits to reform political leaders to even just walk freely in the
the ECZ by undertaking the following: streets or markets in Zambia.
The UPND Government will ensure this piece
a. Establish an independent electoral
of legislation is not abused. In this regard, we
eommission where the selection of
commit to:
commissioners will no longer be at the
discretion of the sitting republican a. Reform the Public Order Act and prevent its
president. abuse. Specifically, we commit to provide in
the Act the freedom of assembly and the
b. Elaborate ECZ’s roles in conducting
penalties for anyone, including the officers
legal and electoral reforms including
entrusted to enforce the Act if they abuse any
the powers and functions of both the
provisions therein; and
ECZ and the Ministry of Justice in
initiating and drafting electoral bills b. Give autonomy to the police in the
and taking them to parliament. enforcement of the Act.

35
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Public Service Debt and Expenditure Management
There is a need for a dedicated and professional Zambia’s debt situation is bad and getting
public service that should provide a more enabling worse, placing a heavy burden on ordinary
environment for the socio-economic development Zambians. This has been as a result of poor
of the country. This has been hindered by the economic management in the past, particularly
politicisation of the civil service, especially at fiscal expenditure and debt management. In
senior management level where professionalism 2011, Zambia’s external debt was only 20.8
has been completely discarded. Political cadres percent of GDP but has risen sharply to 85.7
have been appointed as permanent secretaries in percent of GDP by 2019. Also, the debt
government ministries and as chief executive significantly shifted from concessional
officers in state-owned enterprises. This borrowing to non-concessional or commercial
phenomenon has entrenched corruption in the loans, thereby raising the debt servicing costs
public service as these unqualified officers’ only and requiring more interest per US dollar.
survival strategy is political appeasement and
The massive and unsustainable borrowing of
corruptly accumulating wealth, some of which they
the past was spurred on by insatiable public
donate to appointing authorities so that they are
spending appetites, characterised by irrational,
not removed. This has, in turn, demotivated the
non- prioritised and wasteful expenditures. This
professional staff, some of whom have ended up
was underpinned by weak public financial
joining the bandwagon.
management by the apex fiscal institutions, and
The UPND government commits to reform public fuelled by underlying political interference,
service by undertaking the following: greed and corruption.

a. Depoliticise the public service and improve The UPND government commits to
leadership and managerial skills as well as immediately stop excessive public expenditure
officials’ mindsets to ensure an optimal public and borrowing upon the formation of the
service delivery system. government. We further commit to sharing
decision-making responsibilities honestly and
b. Restructure and re-orient the Public Service fairly and allow the National Assembly to
Commission so that it can protect the public approve all loans and guarantees to be
service from unwarranted political interference contracted by the state. In this regard, we
and ensure that the merit principle is respected commit to:
in appointments and promotions.
a. Streamline the reporting of public debt and
c. Decentralise the governance to push service ensure full disclosure.
delivery down to the local level with a
significantly increased CDF and provide an b. Tighten the oversight role of parliament in
enormous scope for community action in debt contraction.
holding local government service providers
accountable. c. Ensure transparency and accountability in
procurement and reporting of public debt.
d. Re-engineer existing service delivery processes
through the use of technology and digitisation d. Restructure debt management by creating a
national debt management office as an
to make them faster, more transparent and
more efficient. autonomous agency responsible for
developing and executing debt management
policies that minimise financing costs over
the long term and for managing the
aggregate cash needs of the Ministry of
Finance in the most cost-effective way.

e. Strengthen public investment management

as well as project selection and financing to
ensure any debt contracted for project
development gives adequate investment
returns to ensure debt sustainability.
36
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Procurement
b. Ensure that the legal framework
Public procurement is a crucial component of against fraud and corruption is fully
public services delivery, good governance and enforced to protect the public interest,
sustainable economic and inclusive growth. While enhance transparency, and improve
it is appreciated that our legal procurement competition.
framework covers most aspects of a well-
functioning public procurement system (i.e., it c. Strengthen the linkages between
establishes an independent regulatory body, the budget execution and procurement to
ZPPA, which is responsible for making policies, overcome funding problems and a lack
setting standards, monitoring compliance and of certainty over payment.
performance, managing performance
d. Enforce the publication on an e-
development, and disseminating information on
platform of contract awards notices
public procurement; etc.) there are still some gaps
along with details of all bids and
and weaknesses in the legal frameworks,
rationale for selection to ensure
procedures and practices, which has resulted in
transparency in contract awards.
malpractices, that have cost the government
colossal sums of money. They include a lack of a e. Ensure contracts management is
systematic approach to public procurement supported by adequate monitoring and
planning, a lack of transparency in the awarding of training.
contracts and a lack of robust and independent
complaints review mechanisms. Also, there are no f. Establish an independent office of
updates to procurement plans once prepared and the Auditor of Public Procurement.
no monitoring system for feedback, as well as
weakness in the links between the budget
execution and the procurement processes.
The UPND government commits to undertake
procurement reforms to ensure fiscal discipline,
transparency, accountability and strengthened
internal controls in the procurement process.
Specifically, we commit to commits to:

a. Establish a robust and independent

complaints review mechanism.
37
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Tax Reforms
While the current tax system has some modern remain underexploited and have continued
features found in advanced economies, the tax to register a worrying decline.
instrument integrity has over the years been c. Reform the personal income tax regime by
compromised through the introduction of multiple removing several regressive elements that
tax rates, exclusions, exemptions and deferrals, favour high-income taxpayers at the
which make sustained revenue mobilisation expense of low- income households.
unattainable. Frequent tax changes have eroded
the confidence taxpayers have in the tax system d. Overall broadening of the base to lower
and resulted in lower revenue yields. For example, individual tax burden.
the mining tax regime has been changed more than
12 times since 2000. e. Streamline tax incentives to make them
more effective, targeted and resilient against
The UPND government commits to undertake tax potential tax leakages, while maximizing in-
policy and revenue administration reforms in line country capital retention.
with our domestic revenue mobilisation strategy.
In particular, we will initiate the following: f. Address the proliferation of regulatory and
licensing fees at all levels of government that
a. Develop revenue mobilisation systems increase compliance costs and corruption.
both at sub-national and national
government level. g. Modernise and strengthen capacities of our
key revenue administration institutions,
b. Target revenue mobilisation efforts away including promoting increased exploitation
from income on individuals and of IT advancements to ease both
corporations, and more towards administrative and compliance costs.
consumption taxes and property taxes that

38
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Pension Reforms
All of Zambia’s pension schemes are deficient in We commit to reform the pension to achieve the
design, financing, and administration. As a result, following objectives:
a lot of retirees - some of whom retire at senior
management levels - become destitute upon a. Adequacy of retirement benefits.
retirement simply because the Zambian pension
system is faulty. All the successive governments in
Zambia have only paid lip service to this issue and b. Incentives that encourage people to work for
simply adjusted the retirement age, which in effect more extended parts of their lifetimes and to save
does not resolve the problem but merely defers it more while in employment.
to a later date.
c. The option of partial withdrawal of pension
Some of the inherent deficiencies in the Zambian contributions for specific purposes
pension schemes include: including investment in business or during
unemployment.
1. Fragmented supervision of pension schemes.
There is an apparent lack of co-ordination d. Specific investment mandates to avoid
in the supervision of public pension white elephant projects which are not
schemes. For example, the National beneficial to pensioners.
Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) is
supervised by the Ministry of Labour and e. Administrative efficiency to minimise
Social Security (MLSS). In contrast, LASF is pension system running costs.
supervised by the Ministry of Local
f. Diversification of retirement income
Government and Housing (MLGH) and
sources across providers and financing
PSPF is supervised by Cabinet Office.
forms.
2. Delayed remittance of
contributions and payment of Media Reforms
benefits.
The operating space for media houses and
3. Most schemes are in actuarial deficits media practitioners has continued to be
arising from accrued pension liabilities narrowed in Zambia. This has resulted in
exceeding the assets held, making it harassment of journalists, suspension of
difficult to pay the beneficiaries on time. operating licenses and in some cases the closure
of media houses with dissenting opinions to
4. The current pension system is limited to the those of the government.
formal sector. It excludes the informal
sector, which constitutes the majority of As UPND, we hold the view that communication
Zambia’s labour force. and expression through various media -
including state media, printed and electronic
5. The board of directors is appointed on media - should be considered a right and
political patronage, thereby limiting freedom to be exercised in Zambia irrespective
appreciation of issues of pensions among of whether such communication gives a
members serving on various governing dissenting view to that which we hold.
boards for pensions.
To this effect, we commit to enacting a
6. Most pensions have high administrative consultatively established Freedom of
costs due to bloated organisation structures Information Act, which will play an essential
and high salaries for the executives. role in keeping government transparent and
accountable and to expose any government
misconduct and waste.

39
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Trade Policy Reforms and global value chains and making exports
become an engine of economic growth to increase
Trade Policy is one of the most the share of Zambian businesses in the worldwide
fundamental purposes of government, market as well as improve the quality and market
which has been directed toward achieving acceptance of Zambian products. To achieve this,
three principal objectives: raising revenue we will:
for the government by levying duties on a. Develop national export trade strategies,
imports; restricting imports to protect mainstream trade policy and place export
domestic producers from foreign strategy and promotion at the centre of our
competition; and concluding reciprocity national development policy.
agreements such as COMESA, SADC and
African Continental Agreements to reduce b. Harmonise the trade policy with the
trade barriers and expand exports. industrial, commercial, immigration and
foreign policies.
However, these goals are sometimes in
c. Put in place export financing support
conflict with each other. It is, for instance,
instruments to support Zambian
impossible to both raise tariffs to protect
domestic industries while pursuing a policy businesses.
of reciprocal lowering of trade barriers to d. Ensure collaboration with the private sec-
increase exports. tor in undertaking awareness campaigns on
market access initiatives and of the quality
Our trade policy reform objective will be to standards required by the regional and
pursue an export-led trade strategy that international markets.
will improve the competitiveness and
quality of Zambia’s exports and create
greater access to regional and international
markets. However, we note that there are
some limitations that the country still
faces, such as limited access by Zambian
businesses to regional and international
markets, and limited knowledge of new
export market opportunities.

The UPND Government commits to

promoting participation in regional

40
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Foreign Policy
In the recent past, Zambia was the last bastion of Diaspora remittances to Africa are at least 3 times
peace on the continent of Africa. We hosted a lot of higher than foreign aid. What is the UPND strategy for
refugees running from persecution in the 1960s to leveraging the diaspora financial muscle?
late 1990s. However, in the last few years, the
Firstly, our foreign missions must be attended by High
country has handed those seeking refuge back to
Commissioners and officers who are appointed on
their persecutors, while denying entry to those who
merit and who can fulfil our diplomatic, trade and
champion the human rights of Zambians under
economic objectives with absolute excellence. We are
persecution. On the whole Zambia’s foreign policy
highly rigorous when vetting people for roles in the
has always been reactive, vague, contradictory and
central bank and other important statutory bodies and
mainly tailored to benefit the Zambian elite.
the diplomatic service must be no different. History has
In addressing the gaps in the country’s foreign shown that relatives, cadres and friends have graced
policy, the UPND government’s principal foreign our foreign mission, but this phenomenon will come to
policy objectives will be anchored on encouraging an end.
regional economic integration in Africa, promoting
A professional diplomatic service will also facilitate
the peaceful resolution of conflict in Africa, and
better consular services. Secondly, we will create a
using multilateral bodies to ensure that developing
platform for Zambians in the diaspora to invest more in
countries’ voices are heard on international issues.
Zambia. It begins with access to information such as
It will also engage in more in economic diplomacy
which assets and opportunities exist? These will include
and non-predatory trading engagements with the
Zambian stocks, bonds, treasury bills, cattle, real estate,
rest of the world.
angel investing and other opportunities. The diaspora
The UPND Government will implement a proactive platform will not only allow access to information but
foreign policy anchored on mutual respect and for will also provide resources for disbursements, advice
the benefit of all Zambians. We, therefore, commit and facilitation.
to:
a. Ensure that bilateral trade, economic
and technical cooperation will be the
hallmark of our foreign policy.

b. Ensure that professional personnel,

some of whom the country has trained
at a high cost, are allowed to represent
the country in our foreign missions.

c. Rebuild diplomatic links where these

have been broken and restart foreign
missions. We will then use these
partnerships and existing relationships
to market Zambia to establish stronger
trading relationships.

41
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
Conclusion
anchored on prudent economic management. It is a
The current state of affairs makes it apparent that program to restore good governance and uphold
Zambia’s economic, social, and democratic progress and protect the fundamental liberties in a
is in urgent need of repair. A turnaround is not only democracy, including the freedom of assembly,
required but has become a desperate imperative. speech and association. This is a message that
We are confident that, like the noble eagle on our Zambians must always come first in the
flag, Zambians can rise and save our country. It is development agenda of their government.
the only country we have: a country well-endowed
with natural resources, a pleasant climate, friendly, We must all then act to mobilize our neighbours,
hospitable and hard- working people. As a united relatives, friends, and workmates to register to vote.
people working together towards a common Act to vote for UPND and for progress on the polling
purpose to realiae a better and more prosperous day and encourage others to save Zambia from
country with equal opportunities for all, we can further destruction. We must follow through, to
confidently say that our best years as a country are stand and protect our votes so that each of our
ahead of us, but only if we act now to save ourselves. millions of voices is heard.
Through this manifesto, the UPND seeks to rebuild Lastly, we encourage you to act to hold leaders
trust in public institutions and to provide firm
accountable, for UPND will always act in the interest
ground for the actualization of a permanent social
of Zambian citizens on the understanding that
contract to better our nation. We seek to make The
holding public office is about service to the nation
Vision 2030 a reality, in which Zambia’s great
and its people, and not to enrich oneself at the
wealth can translate to economic empowerment for
expense of the majority of your people. This is our
its people now and in generations to come.
call to action.
However, to realise such a sound legacy, we must
This is our promise to you that within a climate of
act. Act to spread the message in our vision – a
effective management and hard work, Zambia shall
message of reviving our self-esteem and dignity and
gain passage to become a prosperous middle-
a new leadership driven by a promise to deliver
income country.
economic transformation,

Zambia Forward, Together We Can

42
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia
UPND wishes to credit some images used in this document to www.pixabay.com/photos,
https://www.pexels.com › public-domain-images and other public image providers. All other images
are credited to our in-house UPND photographers

39
Creating a United, Prosperous and Equitable Zambia