People’s Party President Dr. Sebastian Kopulande: “Combating Poverty and Restoring Dignity for all Zambians”

People’s Party President Dr. Sebastian Kopulande: “Combating Poverty and Restoring Dignity for all Zambians”

People’s Party Media Policy Statement Monday 19th January, 2026

COMBATING POVERTY AND RESTORING DIGNITY FOR ALL ZAMBIANS

“Putting Zambians First – Making Life Affordable Again.”

By Dr. Sebastian Kopulande

Introduction
Fellow Zambians, poverty remains the single greatest threat to the dignity, stability, and future of Zambia. Millions of Zambians today are trapped in hardship caused by the high cost of living, unemployment, weak local production capacity, poor economic management, and lack of opportunity. Families are struggling to afford food, fuel, electricity, transport, education, healthcare, and decent housing. Today, we are rated as the 5th poorest country in the world with 71% of Zambians (15.62 million people) living below the poverty line or less than US$2.15 a day. The Current Poverty Picture is alarming:
• Cases of Extreme Poverty abound where nearly half of the population (48%) cannot even meet basic food needs while suffering multi-dimensional poverty whereby they are deprived in health, education, housing, electricity, and access to safe water.
• Poverty levels in Rural areas stand at 79% while it stands at 32% in Urban areas.
• As regards Food and Nutrition, 31% of the population is undernourished and 1 in 3 children under five is stunted due to malnutrition.

We in the People’s Party believe that poverty in Zambia is not inevitable in the midst of so much natural resource endowment. It is the result of wrong policy choices, economic mismanagement, neglect of productive sectors, and failure to put Zambians first. Poverty can be defeated through deliberate, patriotic, people-centred leadership.

Our approach to combating poverty is anchored on the concept of Progressive Development; a strategy that delivers immediate relief, economic stabilization in the medium term, and achieving long-term resilience, while empowering citizens to participate meaningfully in the economy.

Our policies to combat poverty once-and-for all, will be implemented at four (4) levels.

LEVEL 1. CONFRONTING THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: THE HIGH COST OF
LIVING

The People’s Party recognizes that the high cost of living is the most urgent driver of poverty in Zambia today. Prices of mealie meal, fuel, electricity, transport, and basic goods have risen beyond the reach of ordinary citizens, pushing many households into survival mode.

Let us ask ourselves, what has caused the High Cost of Living?

In our view fellow citizens, what has caused the high cost of living has been the UPND’s policy incompetence and lack of patriotism

Besides their monthly fuel price increases since they came into power, the UPND Government, because of their inexperience in Government administration and their vengeful dismissal of experienced civil servants, embarked on a policy wild goose chase that has brought misery to households. Some of these misplaced policy decisions include:
i. Removal of subsidies on essential goods like maize (meal mealie), fertilizer, and fuel. This pushes prices higher at consumer level.
ii. Opacity in the fuel industry particularly in fuel imports and use of TAZAMA pipeline that has been monopolised by one fuel trader to the detriment of all other Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
iii. Preference for electricity exports, all done without transparency, at the expense of Zambian industry and families, leading to load shedding and unstable energy supply, causing the shutting down of several Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), higher production costs for businesses which are ultimately passed down to consumers.
iv. High “emergency” electricity tariffs which were initially intended to last three months but have now become standard, without explanation to the people of Zambia, making it hard for businesses and families to have sufficient power for both business and household needs.
v. Kwacha depreciation against major currencies like the US Dollar, making imports (including food, medicines, and fuel) more expensive.
vi. Increased taxes and regulatory fees on small businesses and traders, pushing up the final cost of goods and services.
vii. Imposition of taxes on services affecting the poor such as mobile money transfers.
viii. Agricultural sector instability due to delayed delivery of farming inputs (FISP), late payment to farmers, poor support for farmers, and lack of irrigation investments leading to high susceptability to the vagaries of weather patterns (droughts), leading to poor harvests and food shortages.
ix. Increase in the cost of public service fees such as road taxes.
x. Lack of public investment in the productive sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and other local industries, leading to over-dependence on expensive imports.

Fellow Zambians, we reject excuses by the UPND who keep piling blame for their failures on the Government they took over from. We will confront this cost of living and poverty crises head-on.

To address the high poverty levels amongs our people, we undertake to reduce the cost of living through the following actions:
i. We will restore targeted subsidies on mealie meal, fertilizer, and fuel to immediately lower household expenses.
ii. We will remove unnecessary taxes on essentials such as talk time and mobile money transactions.
iii. We will stabilize the Kwacha and tame inflation through disciplined fiscal and monetary policy management.
iv. We will increase local food production by supporting smallholder farmers, boosting agricultural mechanization, boosting irrigation farming, and timely delivery of farming inputs.
v. We will pay farmers who supply maize and other food products to the Government on time, within 30 days of invoice/delivery date. vi. We will reduce fuel and energy costs by lowering fuel taxes, improving procurement, and investing in affordable renewable energy.
vii. We will expand social protection programmes including cash transfers for vulnerable households but making them serve as an empowerment tool, to make our people selfreliant.
viii. We will improve public transport systems by opening a Commuter Railway network in Lusaka and the Copperbelt, to reduce commuting and business costs. ix. We will promote affordable housing through incentives for low-cost housing development and availabilty of finance for housing development.
x. We will create jobs, especially for youth and women, through entrepreuship, to raise household incomes and through industrialization of rural areas.
These measures will bring real and immediate relief to families and small businesses.

LEVEL 2. A THREE-PHASE ACTION PLAN TO COMBAT POVERTY

We shall implement a 3-phase action plan to combat poverty:

Phase 1: Immediate Relief (First 3 months)

Within the first 3 months of a People’s Party Government, we will do the following:
a) We will reintroduce well-targeted subsidies on essential goods.
b) We will stop export of electricity unless, and until our national electricity demand is fully met.
c) We will reduce and stabilize fuel prices by renegotiating contracts and eliminating corruption.
d) We will reduce public transport costs by reducing fuel prices and engaging with the bus operators.
e) We will implement emergency measures to stabilize the Kwacha.
f) We will ensure early distribution of farming inputs and expand irrigation agriculture.

This phase is about putting food on the table, restoring confidence, and stopping the bleeding.

Phase 2: Sustainable Economic Stabilization (Within Two Years)

To ensure lasting poverty reduction, we will implement the following structural reforms that create jobs and stabilize prices:
a) We will transform agriculture through irrigation, mechanization, and strong support for small-scale farmers.
b) We will empower SMEs through the establishment of a dedicated Small Enterprise Development Bank, provision of low-interest loans, tax incentives for SMEs and market access, especially through reservations and Government contracts.
c) We will reform the electricity sub-sector by investing in affordable renewable energy generation initiatives.
d) We will develop affordable public transport infrastructure including commuter railway systems.
e) Expand access to free and high quality basic education through investment in educational infrastructure, teacher recruitment and public healthcare to reduce household financial pressure.

This phase focuses on job creation, local production, and income growth.

Phase 3: Long-Term Resilience (Within Five Years)

To permanently break the cycle of poverty, the People’s Party:

i. Will drive full industrialization and value addition across all Provinces in agriculture, mining, tourism, fisheries, agro-forestry, manufacturing and other sectors.
ii. We will diversify exports beyond copper into agriculture, textiles, ICT, and manufactured goods.
iii. We will establish the Export/Import Bank to provide financing to export-targetted business projects and to provide technical support for export market access to intending exporters.
iv. We will strengthen the Kwacha through export growth, resource-backed stability, and disciplined monetary policy.
v. We will reform education and skills development to meet modern industry needs.
vi. Invest in affordable housing and smart urban planning to improve the living conditions of our people.

By the end of our first term, Zambia will be firmly on the path to shared prosperity and dignity for all.

LEVEL 3. MACROECONOMIC POLICIES THAT WORK FOR THE PEOPLE

Poverty cannot be defeated without a stable economy. The People’s Party will implement peoplecentred macroeconomic policies that support growth, stability, and inclusion. Our Key macroeconomic Policy Commitments are targeted at the following:

i. Supporting private sector growth, especially Zambian-owned enterprises to Zambianize the Zambian economy.
ii. Re-engineering the financial architecture by establishmenting sector-focused Development Banks for Agriculture, Mining, SMEs, Housing, Export/Import, Construction and a National Development Bank to provide capital for the growth of productive sectors. This is the only way to grow the economy.
iii. Restoration of fiscal discipline and prioritize economic and social spending.
iv. Achievement of a zero-debt position, aiming to free Zambia from policy dependence and restore economic sovereignty.
v. Stabilizing the currency and controlling inflation to protect purchasing power while ensuring sufficient money supply for productive investment.
vi. Diversifying the economy beyond mining and ensuring active participation of Zambians in all sectors of the economy.
vii. Investing in human capital through improvements in education, health, and skills.

LEVEL 4. EMPOWERING CITIZENS AS THE PATH OUT OF POVERTY

The People’s Party believes that Zambians themselves are the solution to poverty.
Therefore, we will undertake the following policy measures:
i. We will implement progressive taxation and enhance progressive tax systems that ensure higher-income individuals and corporations contribute a larger share of their income to public finances. This will help reduce income inequality.
ii. We will expand microfinance and SME financing, including youth and women-focused programmes.
iii. We will support small-scale agriculture and rural development.
iv. We will introduce productive cash transfers linked to education, health, and incomegenerating activities.
v. We will promote and support social entrepreneurship initiatives that focus on addressing social and environmental challenges while creating economic opportunities.
vi. We will invest in job training and vocational skills to enhance the employability of the workforce. This will include vocational training, apprenticeship programs, and initiatives to bridge the skills gap in emerging industries such as ICT.
vii. We will ensure free sanitary products for schoolgirls, protecting the girl child’s education.
viii. We will strengthen digital inclusion so no Zambian is left behind.
Conclusion: A New Social Contract with the People

In conclusion, fellow citizens, the People’s Party is offering Zambia a new social contract, one that places people before politics, production before consumption, and dignity before excuses. Our poverty reduction agenda is practical, patriotic, and achievable. It is rooted in the belief that no Zambian should be poor in a country so rich in resources and talent.

We are ready to confront poverty decisively and lead Zambia into a future of affordable living, opportunity, and shared prosperity.

I THANK YOU
Signed

Dr. Sebastian C. Kopulande
Apiring Presidential Candidate (People’s Party)

Lusaka, Monday, 19 January 2026