Last Saturday evening, the President of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, with
immediate effect terminated various Permanent Secretaries, Service Commissioners
and Diplomats accredited to Zambia’s various missions abroad.
Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations, Anthony Bwalya
who announced the new developments, said among ambassadors and high
commissioners whose service has been terminated is Benson Chali who has been
Zambia’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Emmanuel Chenda (Zimbabwe),
Emmanuel Mwamba (Ethiopia), Goodwell Lungu (Botswana), and Professor Munalula
Nkandu (Belgium). Others are Paul Mihoba (UK), Winnie Chibesakunda (China),
Martha Lungu (Switzerland), Judith Kapijimpanga (India), Daniel Chisenga (China),
Alfreda Kasembe (Brazil), Ibrahim Mumba (UAE) and Anthony Mukwita (Germany).
The termination of services at diplomatic level is said to be in line with the
government’s resolve to promote economic diplomacy. A statement that was read
by the president’s special Assistant, Mr Bwalya, says the move is meant to optimize
value delivered by various diplomatic relationships.
“He (president) says this is in order to foster a new culture of economic diplomacy underpinned by meritocracy, and to optimize the value delivered from Zambia’s various diplomatic relationships around the world,” the statement further read.
public servants. According to the statement read by his Special Assistant, Mr Malama, this move is part of the President’s promise of delivering servant based leadership that focuses on optimizing value for citizens and creating a new culture
of accountability.
“President Hichilema explained that terminations of some of government
officials has also been necessitated in order to entrench a new culture of
accountability in the way that government works at Permanent
Secretaries level and at senior government level.” the statement read.
Mr Hichilema became the Seventh President of Zambia after he defeated Edgar
Lungu. His electoral victory came after having contested in five previous elections in
2006, 2008, 2011, 2015 and 2016, on August 16; he won the 2021 presidential
election with over 59 percent of the total votes.