Zambia’s Hichilema urged to walk the talk after ‘slow’ start

The August election of Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema, which he won by a landslide, was widely hailed as a milestone for African opposition movements.

But while in his first 100 days in office Hichilema had reassured investors, he has been seen to drag his feet on promises to fight corruption and reduce poverty, fuelling impatience among voters.

Zambians turned out en masse to vote for change on 12 August, fed up with growing economic hardship and repression under their former leader Edgar Lungu.

Hichilema inherited a heavily indebted country – the first in Africa to default during COVID – and soured bailout negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Sworn in on 24 August, he vowed to revive the economy, root out graft and woo back scarred investors to Africa’s second copper producer.

Much of the international community remains starry-eyed, but some Zambians are beginning to feel disenchanted.

“The president