Veteran academician Prof. Naison Ngoma says there is a need for President Hakainde Hichilema to address the nation on the high cost of living after UPND Members of Parliament shunned to discuss the matter in Parliament last week.

Speaking as Secretary of People’s Pact, a consortium of organisations, Prof. Ngoma said the high cost of living currently prevailing in Zambia is a serious issue that should not be politicized.

The former Copperbelt University vice Chancellor said President Hichilema should use his address to the nation on the cost of living to explain why prices of essentials such as fuel, mealie meal and electricity have gone up rapidly.

Prof. Ngoma said the high cost of living affects many Zambians hence the need for the Government to address it urgently.

Speaking to Radio Icengelo News in Ndola, Prof. Ngoma added that the Peoples Pact was also concerned about high poverty levels in the country.

“Instead of discussing the high cost of living, we saw the Members of Parliament from the ruling party walking out of Parliament. Unprecedented move, refusing to discuss what is fundamental to every man, to every child to every woman in this country. That was not right, they needed to talk, they needed to meet each other and resolve the issue. This is not a matter of belonging to this or that political party but a matter of being a Zambian, being a person in Zambia but not able to afford certain basics in life. This is beyond partisan politics,” Prof. Ngoma said.

“Perhaps this is the time the President needs to address this matter since clearly the Members of Parliament have failed to address it. This is the time that our President would then be able to address this matter so that he can put a number of things on the high cost of living to rest. From where we stand we see a lot of challenges which possibly such an address by our President would answer. Maybe this is the right time to come through and address the nation on these crucial issues of affordability, people can’t afford. The President might perhaps address the cost of fuel today,” he said.

Prof. Ngoma said the People’s Pact feels time is ripe to tackle poverty through good governance, peace and unity.

“Looking at certain facts, we know that towards the end of 2021 the cost of fuel was K17.62 and by 2025 the cost of fuel was K34.9 per litre. Look at the cost of mealie meal K170 per 25 kg bag in 2021 but today the same bag of mealie meal on average is knocking K400 plus. Look at the cost of living, the JCTR food basket was about K7, 000 in 2021 but in 2025 that food basket has gone to K10, 800. So there are many issues which the President might wish to address so that we can understand where we are going, is there hope around. As a People’s Pact we feel compelled to join the voices of the Shakafuswa of this world and more voices coming from society today,” he said.

Prof. Ngoma, who served as CBU Vice Chancellor for eight (8) years, is a Doctor of Philosophy with a Masters in Public Administration from the University of the Western Cape and has Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Zambia.

WASHINGTON—This week, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to President Donald Trump expressing deep concern about the proposed efforts to eliminate a number of entities established by Congress, including the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) and the United States African Development Foundation (USADF).

“These entities play a crucial role in promoting U.S. interests in Latin America and the Caribbean and across the African continent by supporting community-driven development, fostering economic growth, and strengthening democratic governance,” wrote the Senators. “Moreover, they are statutorily established entities supported by repeated bipartisan appropriations since 1969 (IAF) and 1980 (USADF) and their elimination cannot be effectuated by executive action alone.”

“Eliminating or effectively preventing the IAF or USADF from carrying out their missions would not only be illegal but would undermine U.S. leadership in the Western Hemisphere and across the African continent, creating a vacuum that adversarial powers would exploit to expand their influence, and undermine congressional intent,” they continued. 

“We urge you to respect the statutes that govern the IAF and USADF,” they concluded. “If your administration believes changes to the IAF’s and USADF’s mission or funding levels are necessary, such proposals should be submitted to Congress for legislative consideration, as required by law.”

Full text of the letter is available HERE and provided below.

Dear Mr. President,

We write to express serious concerns with the proposed efforts to effectively eliminate a number of entities established by Congress, including the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) and the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) as outlined in your February 19, 2025, Executive Order, “Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy.”

These entities play a crucial role in promoting U.S. interests in Latin America and the Caribbean and across the African continent by supporting community-driven development, fostering economic growth, and strengthening democratic governance. Moreover, they are statutorily established entities supported by repeated bipartisan appropriations since 1969 (IAF) and 1980 (USADF) and their elimination cannot be effectuated by executive action alone.

Both statutes provide that they “shall have perpetual succession unless…dissolved by an Act of Congress.”  This unambiguous language makes it clear that only an act of Congress—not an executive action—can lawfully dissolve or eliminate the IAF and USADF. Any attempt to unilaterally dismantle or impede these entities from being able to carry out their statutory mission through executive action would violate the law and exceed the constitutional limits of executive authority.

Furthermore, Congress prescribed clear statutory functions for the IAF and USADF that must continue as required by law. The IAF is tasked with cooperation with private, regional, and international organizations, strengthening U.S. ties with the Western Hemisphere, international development efforts, civil society inclusion, and democratic institutions. The USADF is similarly tasked to strengthen the bonds of friendship and understanding between the people of Africa and the United States; enlarging opportunities for community development; assisting effective and expanding participation of Africans in their development process; and encouraging the establishment and growth of development institutions that are indigenous to the continent. These functions are not discretionary but legally required by Congress and cannot be overridden by executive order.

Further, any effort to reduce the size or scope of the IAF and USADF through an executive order would violate appropriations law; Congress has repeatedly appropriated fund for these entities, including in the most recent appropriations bills. The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-47) appropriated $47 million for the IAF and $45 million for USADF, to remain available for personnel and programs through fiscal year 2025, and such funding is carried forward under the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (P.L. 118-83). Congress provided these levels to ensure these agencies can meet their statutory mandates.

Along with the IAF’s and USADF’s standing, permanent authorization, the regular approval of annual appropriations for the IAF and USADF—enacted by Congresses and Presidents of both parties, including during your first term—constitute an ongoing authorization of the agencies’ functions that remains in force.

We also emphasize that any efforts to reorganize, redesign, or substantially alter the IAF and USADF require prior consultation with, and a 15-day advanced notification to, Congress under Section 7063 of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024 (division F of P.L. 118-47). This includes any efforts to “expand, eliminate, consolidate, or downsize” these agencies, pursuant to section 7063(b) of such Act. No such consultation or notification has been provided to the Congress.

Eliminating or effectively preventing the IAF or USADF from carrying out their missions would not only be illegal, but would undermine U.S. leadership in the Western Hemisphere and across the African continent, creating a vacuum that adversarial powers would exploit to expand their influence, and undermine congressional intent. The IAF, for instance, drives efficient responses to some of our greatest national security challenges across the hemisphere, including facilitating greater migrant integration throughout Central and South America, providing alternatives to the treacherous migration route northward to the United States. USADF partners with the private sector and host nation governments to fund grassroots, African led efforts to enhance food security, and support small scale entrepreneurs, with a special emphasis on the large youth population.

We urge you to respect the statutes that govern the IAF and USADF. If your administration believes changes to the IAF’s and USADF’s mission or funding levels are necessary, such proposals should be submitted to Congress for legislative consideration, as required by law.

We look forward to your response and to working together to ensure responsible and lawful governance of U.S. foreign assistance programs.

Enough is Enough, Mr. Lungu – Stop the Distortion and Respect the Constitution

By Lawrence Mukandile. (Political Consultant)

Dr. Edgar Lungu, Zambia’s immediate past President, has once again taken to Facebook to repeat his misleading claim that he willingly and freely handed over power. This is not only inaccurate but an insult to the intelligence of Zambians. Let’s set the record straight once and for all: you did not hand over power as an act of charity , you lost the election, and the Constitution dictated that you step down.

It is baffling that a former Head of State, a trained lawyer no less, continuously disregards the Constitution of Zambia, which explicitly outlines the process of presidential elections, disputes, and power transitions.

Under the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2016, the legal framework for elections and petitions in the event of disputed presidential results is as follows:

Election of the President

• Article 101(2): A presidential candidate must receive more than 50% of the valid votes cast to be declared the winner.
• Article 101(3): If no candidate achieves this threshold, a second round of voting is held between the top two candidates.

Challenging Election Results

• Article 103(1): A person may petition the Constitutional Court if they believe the presidential election was not conducted in accordance with the law.
• Article 103(2): The petition must be filed within seven days after the declaration of results.
• Article 103(3): The Constitutional Court must hear and determine the petition within fourteen days, after which its decision is final.

Transfer of Power

• Article 104(1): The incumbent President remains in office until the President-elect is sworn in.
• Article 104(3): If an election is petitioned, the Speaker of the National Assembly assumes executive functions until the matter is resolved.
• Article 105: Once all legal processes are exhausted, the new President is sworn in and assumes full powers.

These provisions make it crystal clear that power is not transferred based on personal choice but through legal and constitutional processes.

Your repeated claims of voluntarily handing over power are deliberate attempts to distort history and incite your followers. What exactly are you trying to achieve? Should Zambians believe that their democracy depends on the goodwill of one man? No, democracy stands because laws exist, institutions function, and the people have the final say at the ballot box.

Had you won, Mr. Lungu, you would still be in office today, bragging about how the people had spoken. But because you lost, you now act as if stepping down was a favor to the nation. That is not how democracy works. If you truly believed the election was flawed, why didn’t you file a petition? The Constitutional Court was there, the process was clear, yet you walked away not because you wanted to but because you had no choice.

Zambians deserve commendation for their restraint and maturity. In other nations, former leaders who tamper with political stability by making reckless statements are met with public outrage. But the people of Zambia have chosen peace over protest, unity over division. Instead of exploiting that goodwill, you should honor it.

Even the law enforcement agencies deserve recognition for not acting against your provocative and misleading rhetoric. But don’t mistake silence for weakness. Should you continue pushing this narrative, it won’t be long before both the people and the law take notice.

Mr. Lungu, history will remember you for what you do now, not just what you did before. You still have the chance to be a statesman to contribute meaningfully to national dialogue without spreading misleading claims. But if you continue on this path, your legacy will not be one of a father of the nation, but of a power-hungry politician who could not let go.

For once, let truth guide your words. Stop this distortion and respect the Constitution.