Hichilema Presents Zambia’s Natural Resources Promise to Dakar II

President Hakainde Hichilema has spoken of Zambia’s opportunity at the Dakar II Summit in Senegal.

The summit, whose key theme is “Feed Resilience and Food Sovereignty”, is focusing on the ability of African nations to drive agricultural production and sustainability to enable African nations to feed themselves, as well as to increase the Africa’s agricultural output from $280 billion/year to $1 trillion by 2030. 

The President was in Dakar at the invitation of the President of Senegal and Chairman of the African Union, Macky Sall, and made a speech to the assembled council of African leaders on the state of Zambia.

President Hichilema acknowledged recent issues with food growth and supply across Africa and within Zambia, but stated that Zambia still holds an advantage by having the necessary natural resources to accelerate economic development inside the country and throughout Africa.

The President specifically pointed to Zambia’s topology as he explained that the land itself had the ability to drive progress. He informed the summit, “Within the climate change challenges, Zambia still has the hydrology, soils, agronomical conditions and the expansive land that is available to be put into production”.

President Hichilema added that his cabinet was not looking to drive land expansion, and that the priority was rather to optimise existing agricultural land that is underutilised. Speaking of his New Dawn Government’s ambitions, he highlighted the role everyday citizens will play, commenting, “We are committed to working with small scale businesses to increase their productivity, as they are the backbone of our economy.” 

President Hichilema expressed his sadness and concern about Africa’s hunger crisis, and pointed to food security as a necessary tool to achieve political stability and true democracy. He said, “It is shameful that Africa is hungry, and we need to work together to wash away this shame. Food security is key for political stability and enhancing democracy.” 

The New Dawn Government has begun 2023 by welcoming U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, as part of ongoing efforts to reinforce Zambia’s economy. Zambia recorded a record maize harvest in 2021/22, and a recently-announced partnership between USAID and Prosper Africa is expected to improve agricultural output, limit grain wastage, and stabilise prices across the East African grain markets.

Image via Zambia Daily Mail.