Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has expressed confidence in Zambia’s future considering the current progress.
Mr. Blair, who is in the country in his capacity as Executive Director of the Tony Blair Institute, said that Zambia’s future prospects have increased his organisation’s appetite and ambition to work with the government, adding that his institute wants to put up a team in Zambia and build capacity in anyway which can help the country’s priorities.
Speaking when he met President Hakainde Hichilema at State House yesterday, Mr. Blair said he will give the President a proposal in the next month on how a delivery unit will be established which will be run by locals.
He said his team has been closely working with Smart Zambia on how they may employ satellite technology in mapping mineral capacity and how roll-out of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) can work.
And President Hichilema told Mr. Blair that efforts of restructuring the economy from the last time they met are already bearing fruit.
The President noted that Zambia needs to engage him more on his institute’s tool kit so that it can close revenue leakage at central government, local government and the revenue body.
President Hichilema noted that while the Tony Blair Institute is working with Smart Zambia on digitization, the government wants that to be expanded to a broad digitization working relationship.
The Head of State also appealed to Mr. Blair to engage American Tech Billionaire Elon Musk to include Zambia on his pilot project of satellite technology that can bring internet across Zambia.
All these institutes are all coming in the wake of AFCOM the US military office, which declears zambia free and safe to work…………..
The Tony Blair foundation is an important instrument in driving the western narrative………….
Nothing wrong with having western , Chinese narratives competing to get zambias attention…………
as long as Zambia wins in all cases
Well played zambia………….
Blair keep your England and let me keep my Zimbabwe
Tony B-Liar is treated like a leper even by his own Labour Party…he is a stained goods no new Labour leader wants anything to do with him because of his lies.. they dont want to touch him even with a barge pole….as for England no one wants to talk about him its only abroad where he parades himself as a Statesman in front of the curious, gullible docile masses yet he is salesman for hire.
The f00l above knows more about his colonisers country than he knows about his own country of origin. You will never find a whlte person who knows more about zambia than he does his own country of birth.
Hh thinks that hosting old washed up whlte war mongers is success. A clear sign of inferiority complex. Blair went into Iraq and killed millions without any evidence of WMD, and this is the person hh is inviting. Hh gets too excited around whlte people.
That inferiority complex can be seen right here on LT where black people post views copied from their colonial masters. For most blacks, the master’s friends are my friends and his enemies are mine too. Had it been Putin in Blair’s shoes you could have seen condemnation upon condemnation. from house niggers
The agent of doom, why didn’t he visit Zambia when he was prime minister? Let him come and build one here in the UK where the government has imploded. Malabish man.
Really laughable …Tony wouldnt even build a pit latrine or shop in London as it would be bombed by angry masses within minutes…this guy moves about with black ops secruity detail for a reason people have unfinished business with him.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s political legacy may not be universally admired, but on Friday he was named one of the top “gay icons” of the last thirty years in recognition of his work for gay rights.
During his time in office the UK introduced civil partnerships, the lowering of the homosexual age of consent from 21 to 16, and the abolition of the “Section 28” law that banned authorities from “promoting homosexuality”.
The pro west approach the UPND government is taking will reap massive benefits for Zambia.
Just look at Botswana which has maintained strong and healthy ties with the west since the 70’s
-Botswana is very wealthy
-No crippling Chinese debt
-Stable democracy
-Has US military protection through AFRICOM
ECL and PF’s pro China/Russia ties wrecked our country with massive debt and rampant corruption.
Says the f00Iish woman using a Chinese woman picture. You have lost your identity. Who are you?
Stop hoodwinking yourself. Botswana is very wealthy because it manages its diamond industry well not because it has relations with the West.. Stable democracy? Just say stable. Democracy? Go and say something against the ruling party in Botswana and see if you will survive. Military protection from what enemy? North Korea, Russia, China wont attack Botswana. What for?
5.2 Kalulu the Hare
There is no way Botswana would manage their diamonds successfully if they were in bad terms with the west…………
The west simply does not allow perceived trouble makers to prosper………..
Ask the Zimbabwens………..
Good or bad, that is how the world works right now……….
Spaka your convictions about prosperity happening only once you go in bed with the West is not well informed. You just want to ignore the fact that an African country can do it. The DRC which is much more wealthy than Botswana has had very good relations with the US from the time the CIA installed Mobutu as President. However, did all the mineral wealth in the DRC translate into development? NO! Sierra Leone has had historical good ties with the US but did its diamonds develop the country? NO. There are many such examples leading to the lesson that Africa shouldnt rely on foreign messiahs to save it.
I am worried that we have no capacity to solve our own local problems. Tony and his team cannot solve our problems. Let us believe in ourselves. Cdf cannot be managed by tony and his team. Hh is looking for solutions from whites. Zambia only saw tangible development when kaunda used the less educated team and limited the mandate of whites.
Tony is a chancer. He makes his millions by cheating and scheming. He never does anything to help anyone or any country. Governments have fallen for his charm and regretted afterwards. I would ask our govt to please stay clear of this guy.
Please Please keep away from this smooth talking crook Tony B-LIAR…He is up to no good, in England they would kick his backside if he turned up on a council estate. He is backed by big business who are up to no good.
HH’s open courting of western imperialist characters like Tony Blair is not a very good idea. What is Tony coming to do that Zambians can’t do for themselves? Please understand that the West, be it Europe or America, are not interested in helping Africa develop. It’s all pretense. All they’re interested in is how to extract Africa’s resources for free to benefit their own countries. Wake up UPND. Wake up HH.
Is the protocol sitting in the top photo ok?
Tony Blair is not a counterpart.
If deceitful seasoned Politicans in UK keep their distance from Tony B-Liar even a selfie with Tony is political sucide for them…who are you UPND and HH7? Really laughable you will get burnt this man Tony has friends in very high places and will never see the inside of a jail. Most of these UPND chaps are too young and not seasoned to swimming in a pond with sharks like Tony.
Keep away from this crook…this is free advice!!
@5 – you got to remember, for its success, Botswana has diamonds – which they mine and distribute very efficiently to maximise profit for the country. To be like them, & even surpass their success, we will have to manage our numerous minerals & metals like Botswana! I don’t mind Mr Tony Blair offering to help though – especially if the team he will form, will be all Zambian as he is promising. We shall see. It might turn out good..and, at that point, it will be said “all’s well that ends well”!
#plant a tree please.
And Botswana has always turned down IMF engagements
Bally gets excited to see anyone showing
Abit of investment in Zambia.Just get hold
Of People like Mr Ndambo who are Zambians
As they can bring proper investment.
Bally gets excited by any white visitors from urope
Wmd… capacity
@ KK : You said well “Let us believe in ourselves”. But you have been believing in yourselves since 1964, this is 2022 and yet you cant even manufacture a toothpick(all imported from china). So according to you fool, how long should we continue believing in our stupid self? 48 years of independence and not even a toothpick is manufactured locally?
“He said his team has been closely working with Smart Zambia on how they may employ satellite technology in mapping mineral capacity and how roll-out of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) can work”.
I hope you’ve all read and understood this part. Zambia’s minerals have attracted the likes of Tony.
#wakeupzambia!
Let us locals develop processing plants locally then benefits will empower our own locals. Zambians must manage their minerals. The price to pay for this to happen is a changed mindset and love for one another. Let us embrace the language of love so we can prosper as a nation and as a people. LOVE ONE ANOTHER!
BLAIR etc ARE FOR WHAT I CALL COSMETIC PROJECTS: SMOKE AND MIRRORS!
THE CHINESE DELIVER REAL PROJECTS LIKE HYDRO ELECTRICITY STATIONS: RIGHT NOW THERE IS NO LOAD SHEDDING IN ZAMBIA
Tony’s institute can access people even a president cannot ordinarily access. This is a cut-through away from using embassies and all. There is nothing sinister about this.
I want to join this team!