President Hichilema Accepts Honorary Doctorate at ZCAS University

President Hakainde Hichilema has declared that Zambia's growing list of policy achievements is no accident — it is the result of a deliberate shift from rhetoric to results.

Accepting an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Effective Leadership from ZCAS University in Lusaka, the President outlined how his administration has fundamentally changed the way government works. At the heart of that change are two key reforms: the Presidential Delivery Unit and the Public Private Dialogue Forum — institutions designed to drive accountability, improve efficiency, and ensure that government programmes are actually delivered.

For the first time, he said, the public service is aligned to clear national targets. Chief among them: scaling Zambia's copper production to three million tonnes by 2031.

The results, the President argued, are already visible. The easing of load shedding — once one of Zambia's most acute frustrations — was made possible only through bold structural reforms. In mining, his administration chose dialogue over litigation, unlocking investments and reviving dormant operations including Kalengwa Mine, which had sat idle for over four decades. Reforms in energy and agriculture are similarly beginning to bear fruit.

The President was emphatic that reform is not punishment — it is an invitation to grow.

He paid warm tribute to First Lady Mutinta Hichilema, whose steadfast support he described as integral to his journey in public service, and acknowledged the friends and associates who have walked alongside him.

He closed with a personal pledge: to serve with discipline, responsibility, and an unrelenting focus on results.