Zambia 2018

Zambia is located in Southern Africa with an estimated population of 17 million people. The economy is largely based on copper exports, with other sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and services also contributing significantly. In terms of foreign relations, Zambia is a member of the United Nations and other international organizations such as the African Union (AU) and the Commonwealth of Nations. According to extrareference, Zambia is a unitary presidential republic with an elected president who serves as both head of state and head of government. In 2018, Edgar Lungu was re-elected to serve another term in office as President of Zambia.

Yearbook 2018

Zambia. In February, about half of the ministers were dismissed or relocated to new posts by President Edgar Lungu. Among other things, Minister of Trade and Industry Margaret Mwanakatwe was appointed new Finance Minister. However, this was not the first shift of the year on a heavy ministerial post. Foreign Minister Harry Kalaba resigned in early January. As a reason for the dismissal, he cited growing corruption within the government and neglect of the state finances. A few days later, he was succeeded by Joe Malanji, who represents the opposition party Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD).

• According to Abbreviationfinder: ZWB is an three letter acronym for Zambia.

Economy

According to Countryaah.com, Lusaka is the capital city of Zambia, a country located in Eastern Africa. A former minister, Chishimba Kambwili, who was excluded from President Lungu’s party Patriotic Front (PF) in 2017, was arrested by the police in March. Kambwili has become one of Lungu’s sharpest critics and has accused the president of corruption. Now the minister was accused of having come across property by criminal means.

The corruption charges against the government continued during the year and in September Sweden suspended its aid payments to Zambia because of this. Britain, Finland and Ireland also froze their aid. The day after, Zambia’s Minister for Social Development, Emerine Kabanshi, was fired. According to Karin Sverkén, head of bilateral development cooperation at the Swedish embassy in Lusaka, it had been established that the problem of aid money falling into the wrong pockets was extensive. Swedish aid would go to a form of cash social assistance to poor Zambians. In 2016-18, Sida would pay SEK 165 million to Zambia. Of these, 130 million had already been disbursed when aid was stopped.

History. – President Levy Mwanawasa, elected in the consultations of December 2001 and then again in 2006, died on August 19, 2008. He was succeeded ad interim by vice-president Rupiah Banda, then winner of measure (40.1% of the votes) in the extraordinary elections of the October 30, 2008, in front of the exponent of the Patriotic front (PF) Michael Sata (38.1% of the votes). Banda’s presidency was characterized by conflicting politics, an increase in violations of civil liberties, a weakening of the fight against corruption and a harsh repression of the opposition and civil society organizations.

The presidential elections of September 20, 2011 were won by Sata with 42% of the votes: Banda, defeated, peacefully recognized the result. At the concomitant parliamentary elections, considered overall free, the PF won 60 seats, the Movement for multi-party democracy (MMD) 55, the United party for national development (UPND) 28 and the remaining seats were assigned to smaller parties and independent candidates.

The promises of reforms, greater freedoms and the fight against corruption did not find effective implementation. The debate on the reform of the Constitution and the related approval referendum was also continually slowed down, and attempts to delegitimize the opposition parties – especially MMD and UPND -, their leaders and their representatives in Parliament continued.

The development of Zambia continued to be based on natural resources, but led to discontent, popular demonstrations against the exploitation regime and internal problems: in January 2011, in the rich region of Barotseland, there were several popular uprisings and secessionist demands that came hard. repressed by government security forces. Furthermore, resources placed Zambia at the center of international dynamics, attracting, starting from 2007, the attention of Chinese investors for the mining exploitation of the country, the construction of infrastructures and the establishment of a common economic zone.

President Sata died on October 28, 2014 making new elections necessary in 2015. Prior to the vote, the interim presidency was entrusted to Guy Scott, who became the first white president of sub-Saharan Africa since the end of the apartheid regime. The consultations, held on January 20, saw the victory of the PF candidate Edgar Lungu, who won 48.3% of the votes. UPND candidate Hakainde Hichilema, who came second with 46.7% of the vote, denounced fraud, but invited his supporters to calm down for the good of the country.

Also due to the scarcity of rains, essential for powering the production of hydroelectric energy, during the year the Zambia was hit by a very serious energy crisis. This situation reverberated its effects on agriculture and the mining sector, forcing a 30% cut in electricity supplies to mines. The economy was also affected by the fall in the price of copper, a resource of which the country is an exporter, leading to a significant depreciation of the local currency – the kwacha – against the US dollar.