Hichilema puts household gains at centre of Grow Zambia agenda
The President’s parliamentary address links a larger economy to jobs and household welfare, with alternative financing proposed to support delivery.
President Hakainde Hichilema has said the government’s Grow Zambia agenda must turn economic gains into improvements in ordinary households, setting out a five-year expansion programme in his address to Parliament on 9th October, 2026. State House’s account says the administration aims to more than double the economy and expand employment and business opportunities. The stated objective places living standards alongside national output, rather than presenting a larger economy as an end in itself. [1]
The President identified public-private partnerships, joint ventures, bonds and other capital-market instruments as potential financing routes. State House also reported his announcement of a US$1.36 billion Eurobond buyback, which he described as replacing more expensive commercial debt with cheaper financing. These are the administration’s stated financing and debt-management claims; the announcement does not by itself establish how much funding individual Grow Zambia projects will receive. [1]
From stabilisation to production
The parliamentary address follows the agenda’s introduction at the President’s inauguration on 1st September. State House’s account of that ceremony framed the programme as a transition from stabilising the economy to creating wealth and expanding opportunity. Hichilema and Vice-President Mutale Nalumango were sworn in for a second term at National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka. The subsequent parliamentary statement gives the administration a policy framework against which its delivery can be assessed. [2]
Agriculture offers one example of how that ambition is being translated into sector work. In a separate October statement, the Ministry of Technology and Science linked soil and water management training to the agenda’s 2031 crop targets: 10 million tonnes of maize, three million tonnes of soya beans, and one million tonnes each of wheat and sugar. These figures are production ambitions, not harvests already recorded. [3]
The ministry said soil scientists and supporting specialists attended a national training course from 5th to 9th October. Its account described work under an International Atomic Energy Agency-supported project on improved crop varieties and soil management, including field evaluation and laboratory capacity. The practical emphasis was on using water and fertiliser more efficiently and strengthening resilience to climate-related risks. Training and research are inputs into delivery; their effect on farmers’ output will need to be measured separately. [3]
What the announcements establish
The distinction between an announced goal, a financing proposal and an achieved result is central to following this programme. Future reporting can examine which projects secure funding, when they become operational and who gains access to the opportunities described. Household income and dependable employment are different measures from the headline size of the economy. Keeping those measures visible provides a clearer way to assess the President’s promise that economic gains should reach ordinary citizens.