Hakainde Sammy Hichilema announces 2000 internships – A critical review of the contradictions of the president’s human capital development policy

By Kellys Kaunda 

The internship program the President announced recently is a welcome policy initiative.

As aimed at human capital development, internships contribute to skills development and practical training.

The other initiatives in this regard include free education, school-feeding programs, bursaries, and volunteer skills training programs conducted by Zambia National Service (ZNS), among others.

The central theme of all these initiatives is that human capital is the foundation of national development.

Many other nations are attracting skilled migrant workers, providing new skills to their citizens misplaced from their current positions for a variety of reasons and working closely with industry to ensure every citizen is involved in productive activities.

But here is the hollow nature of President Hichilema’s policy towards human capital: so many people lost their jobs when UPND came into office simply because they were either members of the former ruling party, appointed by Edgar Chagwa Lungu or labeled party cadres!

Brilliant men and women and highly skilled but thrown onto the streets based on one of the most empty foundations I have ever known – party affiliation.

Instead of simply reassigning them if their skills were not required in their current positions, they were offloaded like garbage onto the streets contributing to job loses and poverty levels.

In the meantime, the man who had just added to job loses and poverty levels is preaching and bragging employment creation and reduction in poverty levels!

What is even more irritating is that these self-defeating developments are happening under the leadership of a man who preaches human capital as the foundation of national development.

Here is the danger in this failure by President Hakainde Hichilema: when he is no longer in office, there will emerge ”a Pharao that never knew Joseph” and this evil will be repeated all over again!

The many brilliant and innocent men and women that have found jobs in the public sector will be offloaded onto the streets overnight.

Regrettably, the men we have elected to the position of President in this country have proved a liability to human capital development and the very reason this country’s progress is a non-starter.

The problem is so hopeless that even when policy decisions are protected by law, the new government simply abuses its numbers in parliament and changes the law.

If not, the new government will just throw the law to the winds and impose its will.

What to do now? For those of you that believe in the power of prayer, just pray that the Lord gives this country a leader who truly believes in human capital development in the real sense of the word and a leader who believes in inclusive development, again, in the real sense of the word.

And also pray that never ever again should a Zambian lose his or job on account of a new government in power.

And for those of you that believe in the power of hope, keep hoping for a President for all Zambians irrespective of political affiliation.

Henry Malumo added a contribution: “Glocalconnector is creating 100,000 jobs by December 2026 and will be sharing updates with you”.