“Be Positive For Once”: Hichilema Hits Back At Social Media Negativity, Names New Mines
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Trending StoriesPresident Hakainde Hichilema has told Zambians to drop the negativity on social media and embrace the opportunities his Government has created. He said citizens who look abroad for a better life often underestimate how tough things are out there. The Head of State said he felt…
President Hakainde Hichilema has told Zambians to drop the negativity on social media and embrace the opportunities his Government has created. He said citizens who look abroad for a better life often underestimate how tough things are out there. The Head of State said he felt fortunate and lucky to be Zambian, because God had endowed the country with immense natural resources for citizens to tap into and lead productive lives. He was speaking when he hosted a meet-and-greet at State House in Lusaka in honour of the Junior Chipolopolo, the national Under-15 men’s team crowned 2026 FIFA Under-15 Tier B World Cup champions.
President Hichilema said he had noted with sadness social media posts that portrayed the country in a negative light, even though the Government had opened up immense opportunities for citizens to thrive. Drawing on his own years abroad, he challenged the idea that life is easier elsewhere.
“I see on social media a lot of negativity among our citizens, but when you turn the leaf, there is an opportunity. Just be positive for once. Some think it is easier to live in Europe or elsewhere, but it is tough out there because the population is huge and talented,” President Hichilema said.
The President then told a personal story about the friends he left behind when he chose to come home. He said they had dismissed the idea of returning to Zambia, but the tables had since turned in his favour.
“I studied and worked there, and when I told my friends, ‘Let us go back to Zambia,’ they said they could not go back to poverty. Over time, those of us who returned home became far better off, and when I go there, ndine nimabagulila tuma lunch (I am the one who buys them lunch),” he said.
Mr Hichilema challenged citizens to embrace a culture of hard and smart work and to be good ambassadors for their country. He said he would keep showcasing Zambia’s vast economic opportunities as the nation’s chief investment officer. The Head of State said his flagship Grow Zambia Agenda was designed to expand the economy and create opportunities for young people through free education, the school feeding programme, business opportunities and job creation. He added that the agenda was also strengthening social safety nets, including the increased Social Cash Transfer for the elderly.
The President used the gathering to set out where he believes the next wave of wealth will come from. He described North-Western Province as the country’s new Copperbelt, with new mines coming up in Mumbwa in Central Province, Isoka in Muchinga Province and Sinda in Eastern Province. He said the high-resolution aerial geological survey undertaken by his administration would make more tenements available for exploration and development. Mining, he said, was no longer confined to one region.
“The mines is not just the Copperbelt. We have an expansion of mining sector in North-Western Province, Central Province and Eastern Province,” President Hichilema said.
He linked the new mines directly to what the country can afford to spend on its young people. The President said a growing mining sector would widen the national revenue envelope, allowing more investment in youth and the arts.
“We believe we will open a new mine in Sinda, Eastern Province, very soon. A new mine in Isoka very soon, so you can see that the envelope can grow to a level where we can invest more in young people and the arts. When you see those targets, to us they mean a lot more than numbers. They mean economic growth, they mean more revenues and they mean more opportunities to support our children. You see how connected this Grow Zambia Agenda is?” he said.
The Head of State’s remarks build on a mining message his Government has been pressing in recent days. In a speech read on his behalf by Mines and Minerals Development Minister Brenda Tambatamba at the 2026 North-Western Mining and Investment Expo in Solwezi, Mr Hichilema said the mining sector had attracted about US$12 billion in investment commitments over the past five years. He said Zambia contributes about four percent of global copper supply and holds about six percent of the world’s known copper reserves. He described the target of producing three million tonnes of copper a year by 2031 as an agenda for economic transformation, industrialisation, export growth and job creation.
Ms Tambatamba told private sector players in Solwezi that the Government would leave no stone unturned in its drive towards the three-million-tonne target. She urged local suppliers of goods and services to mining companies to align themselves with the Grow Zambia Agenda and take advantage of the Local Content in Mining framework.
“You should start aligning yourselves to the Grow Zambia Agenda, the agenda to unlock the potential of this country,” Ms Tambatamba said.
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