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Zambian opposition leader says K19 billion allocated to defence in 2025 budget ‘misplaced expenditure’

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Sean Tembo, the President of one of Zambia’s opposition parties, Patriots for Economic Progress (PEP), has described the allocation of K19 billion to Defense and Public Order by the government in the 2025 budget as misplaced expenditure.

Tembo, who made his position known in a statement on Sunday, wondered why such a huge amount was being allocated to the sector when the country was not at war but had high poverty levels to deal with.

The PEP leader, who went ahead to dissect the 2025 national budget, noted that the total budget for 2025 was K217.1 billion, represented 26.6 percent of Zambia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He argued that in the 10 years prior to 2021, the national budget averaged 17 percent of GDP, while between 2001 and 2011, it averaged 14 percent of GDP, alleging that this meant there was a high appetite for over-expenditure under the New Dawn administration.

“A total of about K19 billion will be spent on defense and public order. For a country which is not at war and which has very high levels of poverty, this appears to be misplaced expenditure,” Tembo said.

He also stated that the 2024 national budget was projected to have a deficit of 11.6 percent, which amounts to over-expenditure at a time when the country does not have money.

Tembo further indicated that the 2024 budget deficit as a percentage of GDP was projected at 6.4 percent snd domestic debt was now K225.5 billion compared to K89.5 billion in August 2024, representing a 252 percent increase in only three years.

“Domestic arrears, which is money that government owes to various suppliers of goods and services in the country, is now K79.8 billion compared to K18.2 billion in August 2021,” Tembo stated.

He highlighted that this meant reduced liquidity needed for the private sector to grow, which only accounted for 36.9 percent of all credit issued by financial institutions, while the balance of 63.1 percent was attributed to government.

“2024 economic growth is projected to decline to 2.3 percent from 5.4 percent in 2021 at the beginning of the New Dawn administration,” he highlighted, adding that annual inflation was 15.6 percent compared to an average of 10.3 percent in 2021 and the local currency exchange rate to the United States Dollar averages K26.30 compared to K15.80 on August 24, 2021.

Tembo also said that the Monetary Policy Rate was now 13.5 percent compared to 8.5 percent in August 2021, indicating higher interest rates for borrowers with MPR-linked loans.

“Statutory Reserve Ratio has been increased by Bank of Zambia (BOZ) to 26 percent, from 7.5 percent in August 2024, meaning less money available to commercial banks to lend to economic players.”

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Zambia: APP leader lampoons PF over pledge to reverse forfeited properties

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Leader of one of Zambia’s opposition parties, Advocates for People’s Prosperity (APP), Mwenye Musenge, has criticised the Patriotic Front (PF) over its promise to reverse forfeited properties if the party won the 2026 presidential election.

Musenge, who was reacting to a statement credited to the PF Member of Parliament (MP) for Lukashya Province, George Chisanga, described the PF’s promise as a betrayal, saying the declaration had exposed the party’s disregard for accountability and justice.

The APP leader, who spoke to Zambia Monitor in a telephone interview from Kitwe, expressed shock that Chisanga, a former Law Association of Zambia president, would endorse what he termed a “regressive agenda,” accusing the PF of prioritising the protection of corrupt individuals over the welfare of citizens.

“This declaration reveals the PF’s true intentions, returning to power not to serve Zambians, but to shield their corrupt network and restore stolen assets,” Musenge said.

He alleged that former President Edgar Lungu’s consistent calls to protect his family, who he claimed cannot explain their amassed wealth, further demonstrate the party’s self-serving mission.

Musenge further described the PF as “a political carcass animated by greed and nostalgia for its days of unchecked looting,” and accused its leaders of leaving Zambia impoverished while enriching themselves.

“Allowing them near power again would be akin to handing a butcher’s knife to a thief already drenched in the blood of the nation’s resources.

“The PF represents everything wrong with Zambian politics—a relic of the past clinging to survival through recycled lies and corrupt agendas,” he added.

Musenge went on to call for the party to be permanently eradicated, saying it had no vision, morality, or credibility to serve Zambians.

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Nigerian Senate confirms influx of terrorists from Mali, Burkina Faso into the country 

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The Nigerian Senate has raised the alarm over the influx of terrorists from Mali and Burkina Faso who operate in the name of Lakurawa, into Kebbi, Sokoto, Kaduna and Niger States in the northern parts of the country.

The Upper Chamber, which raised the alarm during plenary on Wednesday, called on the military to set up early warning mechanisms to forestall further incursions by terrorist groups as well as maintain presence and vigilance in the affected communities to halt the activities of the terror group from spreading further across the region.

The resolutions of the Senate were sequel to a motion titled, “Urgent need for the federal government to take stringent measures to stop the infiltration of a group of violent terrorists, known as Lakurawa, from entrenching themselves in some northwest states of Sokoto and Kebbi,” and was sponsored by the senator representing Kebbi North, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, and co- sponsored by Senators Adamu Aliero, from Kebbi Central, and Garba Musa Maidoki, representing Kebbi South.

While presenting the motion, Senator Abdullahi said:

“The Senate is aware that a group of terrorists from neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali, known as Lakurawa, has infiltrated the country through the Nigeria-Niger border, at Illela, Tangaza and Silame Local Government Areas of Sokoto and are from there, attacking communities in Augie and Arewa LGAs in Kebbi State.

“Recall that this violent gang of terrorists had raided and dispossessed these communities, prior to the large-scale invasion of Mera, a village in Augie Local Government, on November 8, 2024, killing more than 20 people and fleeing with their livestock, amounting to hundreds of millions of naira.

“Senate is aware that Kebbi State government promptly responded by sending a delegation with relief materials to the affected villages and assistance to the families of the deceased.

“Aware that Senator Yahaya A. Abdullahi (Kebbi North) and Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi North Central) and Senator Garba Musa Maidoki (Kebbi South), along with some members of the House of Representatives from Kebbi State, have been to those areas, to commiserate with victims of the attacks on behalf of the National Assembly.

“Aware that if timely, adequate and decisive measures are not taken, this group can spread its reign of terror to other northern parts of the country and beyond.

“Notes the prompt response of the ministry of defence and the armed forces who despatched a well-armed military response squad that was able to dislodge the terrorists and secured the release of herds of cattle and other livestock stolen by the terrorists. These foreigners have invaded the country.

“We need to nip the situation in the bud, they have international connections, heavily armed with very dangerous weapons, the federal government should take the matter very seriously.

‘These terrorists are well armed with highly sophisticated weapons, this is a very serious matter on national security, they control the whole of Northern Mali and now attacking Kebbi, Sokoto, Kaduna, Niger, and others. The time to act is now, we have to take action on how to tame terrorism.”

He said the Senate should revisit past resolutions on terrorism and send them to the Presidency for immediate action.

”I want us to recall what happened in the 8th and 9th Senates. We discussed extensively how we can stem the tide of banditry and terrorism. We made far-reaching recommendations, and we asked the Executive arm of government to implement those resolutions.

“It is still relevant for us to insist that those resolutions should be implemented, if we do so, it will reduce the incidences of banditry and insurgency in the country. We can reduce it to the barest minimum.”

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