US Ambassador to Zambia Eric Shultz says the US government is interested in Zambia’s internal affairs because it wants to see the country develop.
Mr Schultz said the US government has invested heavily in Zambia’s develop and wants to see the country continue on its development trajectory.
Ambassador Shultz was speaking on Friday during the commemoration of the US National Day held at his residence.
“For instance, we (the American people) have an assistance budget of some $500 million, much of it devoted to Zambia’s health sector, where we have built dozens of hospitals and clinics, where we are working to eliminate malaria, and where we help keep over 700,000 HIV+ Zambians alive with anti-retrovirals paid for by American taxpayers,” he said.
“The MCC Compact is another example: a $355 million project that will bring safer water and better sanitation to much of Lusaka. And just one other example if I might: Peace Corps has its largest mission in Africa in Zambia – some 300 volunteers who are working throughout the country, in rural villages, living side-by-side with Zambians, to help Zambia develop. We do these things because it is in our interest to see other countries grow.”
Below is Ambassador Shultz full address on the occasion to mark the USA National Day
Good morning. Thank you all for coming.
Honorable Deputy Minister, it’s a great pleasure to have you here.
I’d like to take a moment to thank our sponsors and the Embassy staff who made today possible; and to thank my wife Klaudia and my sons Alek and Adam for their love and support, and finally to thank my recently departed deputy, David Young and all the other employees who are leaving us this summer.
And I’d like to thank Canada for loaning us July 1, their national day, to celebrate our independence.
Like Zambia, and Canada and so much of the world, the U.S. was once a British colony.
And while we once fought for our independence from the British, we have been friends and allies now for over 200 years and we have always deeply appreciated our inheritance from the UK – especially democracy and the rule of law.
So I guess I should say thanks to the British as well.
Americans love to quote their Founding Fathers, who led the fight for independence 240 years ago, and especially at this time of the year.
They were of course a pretty impressive group, none more so than Benjamin Franklin.
Franklin once said that in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.
Well, taxes have been quite the topic in Zambia recently and I think our position is pretty clear.
So I’d like to touch today on Franklin’s other certainty: death.
In the last few months we lost two great Americans; two great African-Americans: Prince and Muhammed Ali.
Prince, who was from my home town of Minneapolis, was a musical genius.
Ali was simply “The Greatest.” Perhaps the best boxer in history, one of the world’s most famous athletes, and a showman without parallel.
As we celebrate our independence today, we also celebrate the lives of these American heroes, who broke down barriers and made a lasting impression not only on America but on the world.
Their lives, their success, their celebrity were part and parcel of America’s efforts to come to terms with its history of racism and prejudice.
We have made progress. But there is still much to do.
Indeed, in a democracy there is always much to do.
We have an election coming up in America this November. It is an important election and one which the world is following closely and commenting on every day.
We don’t know the result but we recognize that that result will have profound implications for the world. That’s what happens when you have an economy of $18.5 trillion dollars.
Elections are always fraught with uncertainty and with consequences. Just look at the UK last week.
Some of those consequences may be negative; that’s the nature of an election; one side will lose and one side will win and both sides have to accept the result for better or for worse.
But democracy is still the best form of government we have devised.
And elections are an opportunity for a nation to renew its faith in itself and in its ability to choose for itself.
I hope and expect that our election will reconfirm that which Americans hold most dear – our commitment to freedom and to our existence as a multi-ethnic nation where we live together in peace.
The U.S. is often criticized, here in Zambia and elsewhere. We accept that we are an imperfect nation.
But we strive to be better; eight years ago we elected an African-American as our president; this year we may very well elect a woman for the first time.
That, dear guests, is progress.
Zambia too has an election this year, one that can reaffirm its status as Africa’s most successful multi-party democracy and that can further its aspirations to play a leading role on this continent promoting democracy and peace.
Zambia’s efforts to mediate conflicts in its neighborhood – to stand up for constitutional order and the rule of law — have also been criticized by some.
I’m here to commend those efforts, especially the provision of peacekeepers to the Central African Republic, as our Assistant Secretary, Linda Thomas-Greenfield did earlier this week on her visit here.
In fact, we want to see Zambia play an ever greater role in the region; we support her aspiration in that regard both morally and materially.
In fact, the U.S. provided much of the training for Zambia’s peacekeepers and we hope that will be able to continue.
Indeed, we hope that our close and constructive relationship with Zambia will continue in the many sectors in which it is to be found.
For instance, we have an assistance budget of some $500 million, much of it devoted to Zambia’s health sector, where we have built dozens of hospitals and clinics, where we are working to eliminate malaria, and where we help keep over 700,000 HIV+ Zambians alive with anti-retrovirals paid for by American taxpayers.
The MCC Compact is another example: a $355 million project that will bring safer water and better sanitation to much of Lusaka.
And just one other example if I might: Peace Corps has its largest mission in Africa in Zambia – some 300 volunteers who are working throughout the country, in rural villages, living side-by-side with Zambians, to help Zambia develop.
We do these things because it is in our interest to see other countries grow and prosper. We all share this world and must work together to preserve it.
More than that, my family and I like many Americans have a tendency to become emotionally attached to the countries in which we serve. We love Zambia and Zambians. We want them to be peaceful and prosperous.
So therefore we hope that your election, like ours, will reaffirm that which is best in your country: Zambia’s proud tradition of peace and democracy.
And we hope that your election, like ours, will provide a foundation for an ever closer partnership between Zambia and the United States.
By working together, we too can break down barriers and make an indelible and positive impression not only on Africa but on the world.
God Bless America and God Bless Zambia.
Thank you.
American built hospitals in Zambia? Patutobo ubibi bakoswe
Eric Shultz…this is rubbish. America’s interest in Zambia is not to see it develop…wherever America shows interest it for its own benefit…That aid you are mentioning is not for mahala…Why not start by developing the black American ghetos before coming to Zambia?
At the current rate Zambia is going there will be no donors left if we become too arrogant and think we can run and manage ourselves. The reason we depend donors is money has been looted by our presidents and ministers and does not go to allocated projects and in their accounts. We have too much negative mentality in our approach and need to be a bit more civil. One has to think whether we will have tourists visiting Zambia due to the political unrest going on in the country. Will we have investors in our country for long because there seems to be no direction and will they go elsewhere. Gorge Bush and his wife Laura have been in Zambia many times donating their time building cancer clinics. Clinton and his daughter visited the Clinton Foundation projects such as the Clinton Health Access…
Clinton and his daughter visited the Clinton Foundation projects such as the Clinton Health Access Initiative and the Starkey Hearing Foundation Clinton Global Initiative in Zambia. There are good people around the world who care about the poor even more than our Zambian Presidents and ministers do. What has President Lungu and his ministers done for the people in rural areas other than let them fend for themselves and ignore them while they get rich off of the average Zambians backs. If Zambians don’t even care for their fellow Zambians then I don’t know who we are or have become. We claim to be Christian’s and claim to have prayer day yet steal from our own people. President Lungu is not ready to lead Zambia. He’s just not ready and will never be ready!He’s just not ready!!
Zambia was a protectorate and not a colony. Someone educate the ambassador.
What a stu.pid wan.king mother fuc.ker you are!! Do you really know the Zambian History! Just eat your own Ar.se and dont expose your stupi.dity in public for Christ’s sake!
*****, it does not mean that since it was not a colony, the colonial masters and morons of governorship in the country never wanted to leave. It is actually a greater evil than colonization. Study before you insult idio…t.
Eric and America wants to bring bloodshed like they brought to Libya. These guys don’t mean well
Look at Vietnam,Iraq, Afqanstern,Libya our neghbour Zimbabwe . You do more harm than develop. We are no longer puppet actually you are happy Sata is no more.
we are the ones who will tell you what image you present… Just do what you have to.. actions speak louder than words
Thank you ambassador but the US need not brag and claim all the help Zambia getd. Thanks for acknowledging our noble jesture regionally, but you need not be the loudest among other equally important diplomatic corps. Zambia is not a state in the US. Thanks for understanding us. We admire the USA and mourn with you when you’re attacked by some religious extremists. Thank you for acknowledging your imperfections too. Understand that we are more responsive to extreme prejudices. Bottom line, tone down.
@Thorn in the Flesh: Mother fuc.ker! Speak for yourself you ignorant and ungrateful sacred rat! Id.iot!
@ 7.1 Chilyata
No pressure, you are a UPND mentally ill goon. Sons of devils can easily be IDed from their Lucifer like rants. Lunatic shrills like you die cursing because they are driven by hate and emotions. You and your family are cursed with inferior complex syndrome. I can’t help but guess that you’re a good for nothing brain constrained blo.ody failure. I blame whoever helped to bring you up freak.
We want Zambian to develop more than than you do ambassador. Remember also that some UK residents reprimanded Obama for supposedly siding with the team “don’t leave” campaign as it related to the EU. It’s normal for real Zambians to castigate you when you begin to sound irrational and taking sides in our political trajectory. We bloggers on this forum reprimanded the previous US ambassador for urging Zambians to entertain homosexuality. It is alien to us. We love the US and so God bless the US and Zambia.
Projects for clean water paid for by the USA ?? but lungu and PF have being borrowing money for the same projects ?? Who is lying.
The bible is clear when you give do not let the left hand know. We thank God for all your assistance, however, we would appreciate if you would tonne down give as respect as a sorvreign country. They is a program which is being aired on dstv known as roots and we know how you view as even as you give as that aid.
I told you PF bargers,Infact the Ambassador did you a favor by not mentioning all the projects done by the US in Zambia.You saved you from being embarrassment because you wud ve discovered that the whole country is funded by & sponsored by America.Army,ZAF,ZP,Hostpitals,HIV-AIDS,Sanitation,Loans(IMF),NGOs etc.You cant point a finger at these guys.Because if they decide to pull the plug,nothing ll remain behind,even the roads you claim to sonta as PF projects will taken away because that money came from them.And you ll still be owing them because most of the money they gave us was stolen by Lungu and his ministers.
The US alone owns 65% of Zambia.Then you have the EU & Europe that own another 30% and Japan 5%,the Chinese that you PF minions always praise have nothing in Zambia because they always take back what they came with and even steal extra from you and take it back to china.Its the US & EU that give you completely with one heart including Japan(JIKA).The rest are just chancers;India,China,Arab countries,Turkey all these are just zookers.US & EU will decide for us which president they want to rule their country Zambia because all the money get paid monthly is theirs-Fackal you can tell them.Unless you wanna eat grass and Vinkubala.
We want to see America prosper it needs to stop persecuting Bill Cosby and allow Donald Trump to be President we are worried that even though America is a “democracy” family trees are being created first with the Bush dynasty and now Clintons we cannot as a friends of the US having contributed to the growth of America through our many brothers working there as care providers though denied a green card keep silent when America gets it wrong.
We have stup!d !d!ot people coming here to insult the singer that is feeding our people. Some of your family and some of your very leaders in PF are alive because of America provision of free ARVs by the Americans. The budget too has American support. The hospitals that Pf claims to have built has American support too. What can Zambia do without American support?
SHARE BLOCK FARM PROJECTS ZAMBIA need INVESTORS & FUNDING for FARMCULTURE PROJECTS ZAMBIA.
Without MONEY from America & Other Countries to HELP LOCAL RURAL COMMUNITY FARMERS …
ZAMBIA FARMCULTURE THANK ALL INVESTORS & DONORS …Thank You for Helping and Support Zambia.
We need to see more pledges to developing Zambia by the US China Pledged more than USD 60 Billion Dollars towards Africa and development and Zambia was the Beneficially of that funding
In areas of Energy LNGs and others surely the US can do more for Zambia The Africa Rise is not only important to Zambia but to the US also and its time they increased the portfolio of Investments to Zambia We appreciate the effort beings made so far
As for the Post I think we missed It Association with acts of fraud or compromise will not be good as can be seen in the eyes of a mirror such will be the reaction Disassociate from those…
ITS THE URANIUM DEPOSITS WE HAVE THEY ARE INTERESTED IN. PERIOD ,JUST A REMINDER THE FORMER USA PRESIDENT BUSH VISITED ZAMBIA AND WHAT PROJECT DID HE INITIATE? NOTHING JUST TO PAINT CLINICS IN SHANTY COMPOUNDS OF LUSAKA. IS LUSAKA ZAMBIA ONLY…?
We should ask this man if what Anglo American did to our mines is classified as development in America. Yes we will take your money because you secretly take more out of our country than you put in. If you want to partner with us do not interfere with our internal affairs.