The Love Zambia Project

  2016 has been one of the most eventful years in recent history. Being an election year, it was always going to provide drama.   The year begun with our economy in the worst shape it could possibly be with inflation high and rising steadily. Our currency was also losing value and had a very bad 2015. There was also a looming threat of massive job losses in the mining sector which is a critical part of our economy. Prices of goods and services were following an upward trend. This meant the cost of living increased at an alarming rate throughout the year. This was coupled by mass electricity cuts countrywide.   The year also saw one of the most dramatic elections in our history. It all begun with the signing of the new constitution in January.  Certain provisions in the electoral act were amended; paving the way for presidential running mates and setting the threshold for victory at 50%+1 of votes cast. With the previous election just over a year before, excitement ...

Every Zambian President has vowed to decentralise governance to ensure that all areas receive equal attention in terms of development. The rhetoric has, however not been backed up by actual statutory willpower. The constitution amendment act of 2016 changed all this as it finally allowed the devolution of governance. This was done by granting councillors and mayors the power to set the development agenda in their respective districts while removing members of Parliament(MPs) from constituency development committees. This was meant to enhance the capacity of local authorities to initiate, plan, manage and execute policies in respect of matters that affect the people within their respective districts, according to the constitution. This would facilitate participatory decision making as councillors and mayors are closer to the ground and their mandate involves regular interaction with their communities. It also balances economic development in the whole country. Unfortunately, Parliame...

Graft and corruption have been scourges that have threatened the progress of Zambia for a long time. Subsequent governments have vowed to fight corruption but it has never been as prevalent as it is now. The constitution provides for state institutions whose mandate includes detecting, investigating and prosecuting instances of corrupt practices. The conundrum is, with a great passion to fight corruption initiated by the President and with independent institutions tasked with fighting corruption, why does it keep getting worse? The Anti Corruption Commission(ACC) is in the forefront of the fight against corruption. Their mandate is not only to initiate, receive and investigate complaints of alleged or suspected corrupt practices but also to examine the practices and procedures of public and private bodies in order to facilitate the discovery of opportunities of corrupt practices. It is also tasked with securing the revision of methods of work which in its opinion may be prone or con...

The President recently set the country on a pursuit of a smart Zambia. A transformational culture for achieving this was further outlined. Zambia is on a precipice; a lesser developed country with most of its resources either underutilised or under foreign control. The word 'smart' has a lot of definitions but it can easily be defined as the wisdom to start from where you are with what you have. The concept of smart is simple but it is what defines the best. It is the ability to recognise your strengths and weaknesses; and factor them into every decision you have to make. The world is in constant competition. Whether it is someone trying to develop the best mobile phone or trying to get the best yield of a crop. The pursuit of the best has encompassed all nations. And whether you recognise it or not, you are part of the competition. Sadly, Zambia is still lagging behind in terms of innovation and efficiency. The technological advancement of the world in the past three decad...

The Love Zambia Project is aimed at giving Zambians(especially the youth) a voice. A chance to express themselves and set the agenda for news. It is uniquely positioned to play an important role in our Zambian society today and tomorrow. By allowing the general public to submit articles, it will give the PEOPLE the POWER to set the agenda and stimulate honest and uninhibited dialogue on our beloved country. Anyone can submit articles on any topic concerning Zambia and everyone is free to comment in line with the guidelines. Submit articles to lovezambia88@gmail.com.