Hakainde Hichilema given Honorary Doctorate at Heriot-Watt University

On his visit to Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh to attend a Graduation Ceremony, President Hichilema was awarded an honorary doctorate, symbolising his commitment to the education sector in Zambia and also his own journey from a rural village to holding the highest office in the country.

In a speech addressing the university, the President made clear his understanding of the acute importance of investing in education as both an equalizer and an inheritance of skills and training for future generations.

He said, “our belief in the universal value of education is not only based on our own experiences, but in watching the success of others, from Lusaka to here in Edinburgh to do what they’ve been able to do over the years…three of our largest banks in our country are run by ladies who are graduates of Heriot-Watt University.”

Heriot-Watt has provided over 50 scholarships to Zambian students, to which the President expressed his sincere gratitude.

Elaborating on Zambia’s need to increase resilience of extreme weather disasters, he said, “in future, with climate change that is showing its ugly head, when there’s a drought again, when there’s a flood, we will still be able to feed our people.”

He pointed to the key areas of focus for the government; “resilience, irrigation, agriculture, technology that we’ve been talking about, post-harvest loss, mitigation measures as Prof. Williams indicated of the research that has been going on in this University. We would like all of this to bear on the situation that afflicts us in Zambia.”

President Hichilema concluded his address by emphasising the importance of doing good local communities, which simultaneously contribute to the greater, shared global community.