Chapter One Foundation has noted that its Executive Director, Ms. Linda Kasonde, has been placed on Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa’s list of “Zambians who gravely disappointed” in 2020 which appeared in the 26th January 2020 edition of News Diggers newspaper. The critique arose out of a decision that Chapter One Foundation took to challenge the 2020...

UN Resident Coordinator Coumba Mar Gadio Diplomats are international citizens. For the period they are in Zambia, they are actually Zambians. They are the eyes and ears of the world in Zambia. Their job is to objectively shine light on what is happening in the country. If they keep quiet, the world will think everything...

This feature argues rebounding COVID-19 cases and deaths in Zambia highlight the role and importance of the National COVID-19 Task Force (CoTAF), which should lead a national health system of innovation to curb the reach and spread of the diseases. Currently, what is characterised as COVID-19 task force (somewhat comprising the Minister and a few...

This article makes an argument that whilst COVID-19 has unleashed a new wave, causing confirmed cases and in some cases deaths to rebound, lockdowns are no longer fashionable. And that national policy responses need to take a long-term perspective with efforts aimed at rebuilding the economy should emphasise local solutions such as: food sovereignty, small-scale...

Across 2020, Zambia experienced no shortage of disappointments and setbacks. Yet there are some individuals whose courage and principles made them inspiring figures in the political landscape last year. In this article and the next, I list two sets of citizens of 2020: those who through their actions offered hope to Zambians and those who...

It is not a secret that the future of the Zambian economy lies in Agriculture and particularly livestock production. Unfortunately, successive governments have all missed the golden opportunity that lies in agriculture. Well-coordinated studies have outlined that no other sector is more critical to the lives and livelihoods of the poor and marginalised communities than...

There are many reasons why the concept of ‘term limit’ is characterized as a feature of democracy and an institutional barrier to personal rule and dictatorship. According to Linz, presidents exercise what he terms ―uni-personal‖ power, which can very easily be abused and potentially contribute to the demise of democracy. This view is also echoed...

In July, members of the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) elected at their Annual General Meeting a 15-member executive to replace the Eddie Mwitwa-led Council that had been in power since April 2018. The new office bearers include Abyudi James Shonga, who was voted President, Lungisani Zulu (Vice-President), Sokwani Chilembo (Secretary), and Ngosa Simachela (Treasurer)....

ELECTION rigging in many of Africa’s democracies occurs through a range of strategies, such as ballot-box stuffing, electoral bribery, violence against political opponents and the emasculation of the independent media that usually serve as the main outlet for opposition parties denied coverage in state-run publications. Other tactics involve putting dead voters on the electoral register,...

The presentation of the national budget is one of the most important dates in the fiscal calendar. This is because the national budget outlines the government’s overall priority for the next financial year. Although the term “budget” actually refers to the section on spending allocations, the “budget speech” goes beyond mere allocations. The government uses...