Hichilema directs Milupi and Kalila to accelerate transport and housing delivery
State House puts economic corridors, serviced land and affordable housing on the agenda as ministers receive instructions to deliver results.
President Hakainde Hichilema has directed Transport and Logistics Minister Charles Milupi and Housing Minister Christopher Kalila to accelerate projects supporting the government’s Grow Zambia agenda. State House’s account of their swearing-in on 29th October, 2026, identifies transport corridors and planned housing development as priorities. Milupi said reliable logistics were necessary to move machinery and products, while Kalila stressed the importance of affordable homes with essential services. [1]
The President highlighted the Lobito Corridor, TAZARA revitalisation and Zambia Railways rehabilitation. On housing, he called for land to be serviced before allocation and for standardised, affordable homes for public service workers. Kalila put the housing deficit at about 1.5 million units, with a projection of three million by 2030. That estimate is attributed to the minister in the State House report; it is not a count independently conducted by The Newsmaster. [1]
Appointments accompanied by delivery instructions
The directives followed a wider ceremony on 28th October at which State House reported the appointment of 24 Cabinet ministers and 10 provincial ministers. Hichilema warned against self-interest and bureaucratic delays, calling on ministries to coordinate more effectively. He singled out overlapping export approval processes as an obstacle to investment and told officials to remove duplication. The account links administrative performance to the government’s economic expansion plans. [2]
The President also called for faster implementation of electricity and regional petroleum connectivity projects. State House said he instructed the Secretary to the Cabinet to convene strategic sessions involving ministers, permanent secretaries and senior officials. These instructions concern coordination and delivery across government. They should not be read as confirmation that a particular railway, housing scheme or energy project has reached completion or secured all the finance required. [2]
A similar emphasis accompanied the first ministerial appointments in September. State House’s 14th September account said Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane was directed to maintain fiscal discipline and prudent debt management, while Foreign Affairs Minister Mulambo Haimbe was asked to advance trade, investment and technology transfer. Those earlier instructions show that the administration is assigning Grow Zambia responsibilities across portfolios, rather than treating the agenda as the work of one ministry. [3]
Following the projects beyond the announcement
For subsequent reporting, the named transport and housing priorities offer identifiable subjects to follow: project schedules, financing arrangements, procurement decisions and access to completed services. A directive establishes what ministers have been asked to do. Delivery requires evidence of what happens afterwards. The housing deficit estimate also needs to remain distinct from any later announcement of units financed, started or completed, because those are different measures of progress.