We Are Serious About Dealing With The Debt Crisis – HH

President Hakainde Hichilema has said that he is serious about dealing with the current debt crisis which the country finds itself in.

Speaking during an interview just one week after taking office, the President outlined his commitment to transparency within the current debt crisis.

Hichilema said that he knew “for a long time that there was non-full disclosure,” at the full price of the debt which had been obtained under Lungu’s government. The previous government had only revealed approximately $12 billion-worth of debt which they had obtained.

Hichilema, however, revealed that large amounts of additional debt had been accrued by Lungu outside of parliamentary approval.

“You have deals that were structured outside the normal channels, we’re talking about debt that was accrued acquired without parliament approval,” the President stated.

Subsequently, the President and his team are trying to work to figure out the real debt which the country owes.

“We are serious about this issue in terms of managing, dealing with the debt crisis, because we have to, it’s a necessity for both sides…One of our jobs right now is to dig into, trying to zero in on what the true debt is: both foreign and domestic debt. We are working through it and we’ll get to the bottom of it soon,” he said.

Once the country’s true debt has been revealed, President Hichilema says he hopes to be transparent with others about the figure they find.

“We hope to come to the table with full disclosure on the numbers. We want to come to the table with debt stock holders in an amicable, respectful way, so that we can find solutions that are win-win”.