The investment ventures Hichilema is pursuing are nothing but giving the keys to foreign investors. Zambians must cut the puppet strings and take the reins themselves. Only Zambians can truly develop Zambia.
Lusaka, June 18 – Last night, while we were busy scratching for matchsticks to light our paraffin lamps, Head of State Hakainde Hichilema and his wife, Mutinta, were off to the UK, jet-setting from the Sausage Airport without a care in the world.
“Fellow citizens, we have departed for the United Kingdom where we will visit Scotland and England. During our trip, we are scheduled to meet with the First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, for bilateral talks,” reads, in part, his Facebook post.
Also Read: A puppet of our former colonisers cannot develop Zambia, Hichilema is a liability! “If we don’t handle our independence very well, colonisers will come back in form of investors!” – Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe.
President Hichilema is set to rub shoulders at Heriot-Watt University and the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University, but the supposed benefits to Zambians are as clear as mud.
His intentions seem to be more about playing politics and putting on a show of mingling with high-profile figures and investors in the mining, agriculture, and energy sectors.
Driven by his insatiable hunger for global applause, President Hichilema eagerly aims to seize the spotlight with a keynote address at an Oxford University conference.
“We will deliver a keynote address at a conference organized by the Rhodes Trust Zambia Constituency, themed “Standing up for Zambia: Zambia at 60″ at Oxford University,” ends his Facebook post.
Although his newfound ally, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, partakes in similar ventures, the focus is worlds apart. Hichilema would do well to take a page or two from Kagame’s playbook.
Paul Kagame asserts that Africa possesses all the essential resources in tangible terms, and anything lacking can be obtained through our own means. Yet, we are shackled by the mentality that nothing can progress without foreign aid. We even plead for resources we already own. Kagame deems this an unequivocal failure of mindset.
Also Read: Why is Africa “Rich” Yet Still “Poor”? The solution to the poverty in Africa will require a comprehensive and collaborative approach that should take into account the unique circumstances and needs of the African continent.
Zambians must cut the puppet strings and take the reins themselves. Only Zambians can truly develop Zambia. If you’ve tracked his investment moves, they’re all about feathering foreign investors’ nests. Look at the latest Lobito Corridor – it’s just another backdoor for the West to siphon off our mineral wealth.
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