UK High Commissioner Fergus Cochrane-Dyet has questioned the Economic Association of Zambia’s latest statements on the state of the economy.
The EAZ through its President Lubinda Haabazoka has been issuing statements that seem to suggest that all was well in the Zambian economy.
In July, the Association will be hosting what it is calling the National Economics Summit aimed at exploring new ideas to grow the Zambian economy.
But Dr Haabazoka has in the recent past castigated other experts and some publications who have highlighted Zambia’s economic woes saying those are enemies of Zambia.
But Mr Cochrane-Dyet in a tweet said the Association’s recent statement is a matter of concern.
He has urged the Association to be realistic regarding the challenge facing Zambia.
“What do EAZ’s recent statements, e.g. claiming anti-Zambia conspiracy by Bloomberg, say about its credibility and impartiality?”
He added, “Recent Govt announcement on tackling debt is very good news, but Zambian economists must be realistic over the challenge facing Zambia.”
As someone with a British Passport and engaged to a Scottish man – I have little option but to accept anything this man says as being truthful.
Thanks.
BB2014,2016
Nonsense. Can the Zambian High Commissioner in Britain freely question the internal economist’s statements on the status of the British economy?
It’s an audacity they can only practise in Africa because even the US don’t take such interference from any of the foreign envoys in their country.
Some of us have always said EAZ is Presido is a PF cader ….so nothing new from the HC except of course it get wider coverage …. So thanks maybe EAZ can learn to be a professional body
Chale
Haabazoka does not work for bank of Zambia or GRZ.
Haabazooka thinks he’ll get appointed BOZ governor after being a PF parrot singing praises even when things are really bad.
@Nine Chale, most Western countries have Departments pointing to Africa (the USA even has a Secretary of State for African Affairs). African countries have nothing pointing towards the West’s activities. They channel donations and aid and therefore they would really want to know what the heck is going on. Let’s have a Department on UK Affairs – dare I say then.
@Nine chale
Please wake up. Zambian high commissioner can not question the master who pays his salaries through grants to PF govt.
On the flip side UK HC has that authority to question because he puts his life on the line for supporting the cases for Zambia to get UK grants. If he is not questioning how UK tax payers money is spent in Zambia he would be failing in his duties.
To stop the UK HC commenting against PF, it should should stop borrowing money from westerners and importantly stop stealing borrowed or gifted money.
Ubu nichimbwi chabe ba PF..
All you want him to do is praise PF. If he is not allowed to castigate PF why should he be enticed to praise it. It’s no brained!
DR Habazooka is just a PF useful id1ot.
The man might be academically qualified but the truth is most of those who went to Russia to study are those who were spat out by the then mighty UNZA during our time.
Habazooka could not manage the robust UNZA degree of those days that’s how he ended up in Russia.
This is not to say all who studied in Russia failed at UNZA but you can tell from Habazooka s thinking that UNZA education would have been too much for him and he would have failed.
I pity his students seriously.
High Commissioner: GO HOME AND SORT OUT BREXIT AND THE KNIFE CRIME.
I CANNOT IMAGINE THE ZAMBIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER IN LONDON MAKING SIMILAR COMMENTS ON THE BRITISH ECONOMY etc
Bloomberg is a Jewish Station with an anti China agenda. As a capitalist this Britons feels obliged to defend the imperialist station
Wanselu Russia has a better economy than Zambia so stop comparing UNza graduates with Russia graduates. What does Zambia have to show for its better Unza?
MINER
An under 5 can’t do that
But you should also tell Bloomberg to be realistic in their analysis and they should not seem to be biased towards the capitalists who are bent on exploiting weak nations.
That Tonga mans attempt at sounding insane in order to get a job from lungu will damage his reputation beyond redemption.
Haabazoka, you are giving Russian economic schooling a bad name.
Haabazoka`s brain is as dirty as he looks… what do you expect from a carder
Lubinda is a buffoon looking for a job and all his statements are to impress Chagwa! He’s never worked anywhere apart from doing 9 years PhD in Russia and came to CBU as a lecturer! He doesn’t understand anything.
Habazooka tone down on that support. i mean honestly why comenting on the Kingsley chanda video. How much relevancy do you need….
Let’s not allow the white superiority complex in Zambia which apparently is worshipped by UPND sycophants and zealots and enemies of progress lest we suffer from acute inferiority complex. Has anyone comentated on their shambolic Brexit process….
RACIST !MBECILE has crapped in public again
Dog…. do you have a brain iwe
Fwanya
You are free to comment , so is GRZ , in fact GRZ is free to comment on the state of the U.K. economy.,…
this man is a disgrace and should be disowned by all well meaning economists
While this may be true, Haabazoka sometimes speaks for himself as an economist, and not always EAZ. Sometimes though he does hide behind EAZ to want to make his opinions sound universal.
Let him concentrate on Br-exit not Zambia.Abana ba mwisa.We know know PF is not working well but we need to protect our country.Who comments on british economy by the way.Ukutupa ba envoy aka
They give you aid from their tax payers so ikalenifye bane
Moscow
You are free to comment , do is GRZ , on the state of the U.K. economy .
Infact if GRZ comments on the state of the U.K. economy, I am sure they would have candid discussions with U.K. economists
Habazoka is entitled to his opinion as a Zambian.Bloomberg reports is not immune to criticism.The high commissioner’s comments are concerning.The Brits have failed to manage the BREXIT process perhaps we can assist them they are a disgrace unto themselves failing to agree in parliament!!
Habazoka is a disgrace to educated people. Bloomberg is one of the most trusted source of markets news and other financial bench marks for the whole world. Why would it be different for small Zambia from the rest of the world? It is like denying what the exchange rate is.
When you’re called to defend your thesis you don’t call the people on your panel enemies.
This imperial mouth piece should be told to bring back our worth they plundered.
@jayalljay
How do expect them to do that? They have actually given Zambia more than they took in form of grants and still continue to give but your f00lish PF politicians continue to steal the money given back and hide it their countries.Thats Zambia s dilemma!
Ask Lungu where his ill gotten million dollars is hidden. For sure not in Zambia.
I urge my fellow countrymen to get down to crunching numbers. We have the data we need inside our own country and we can reasonably access these data. That way you can judge for yourselves whether or not Haabazoka is defending the indefensible (hint: there was a Cabinet meeting arising out of the state of the economy). Let’s move away from populism if we are to survive mwa wantu napapata na mwana mzanu!
What a shame that we have to dance to the white man’s tune. Why should a foreign envoy be telling us what say, do, eat and we all support him? Simple! Politics. …whether the High Commissioner is right or wrong we will YES BWANA, because he’s antigovernment. We have enough manpower to check what Habazoka is saying or doing. These whites you support don’t want to see stability in Africa because this will reduce our dependence on them and their access to our resources.
Ndanji
No need to be defensive, the U.K. HC is open to discuss his observations , numbers don’t lie…….the facts are there.
Why should we call a duck a chicken just because the white man a correctly observed that if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it must be a duck not a chicken ???
@Ndanje Khakis
You will continue to dance to muzungu ‘s pelete for as long as your PF govt continues to beg and then steal the donated or borrowed money.
We have all known what should be done to improve our situation in Zambia but very few educated Zambians in politics know how to actualise it.
The truth is neither black nor white. It is just the truth. There is no British truth or Zambian truth; there is only the truth, case closed. And what will you say when Britain one day sends a black Briton as High Commissioner?
Wenzulu I don’t talk to mad dogs. Please don’t comment on my postings lest you infect me with rabies
@ 11 Jayaiijay,what about the worth your leaders are busy plundering day and night,you keep calling the whites imperialists yet you have never refused to receive their grants,double standards indeed.Tell your leaders to stop stealing before you call others impelialists because these so called impearialists are better.
What is the government doing about this colonialist. Is he here to tell Zambians what to say or who to support.
THIS MAN MUS LEAVE.
All the HC is saying is if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck,…… hell it must be a duck.
The HC is worried at the observations of EAZ , who are supposed to influence our economics students ,
EAZ observations are completely opposite to any economic readings , and challenge the findings of well known institutions like IMF , Bloomberg etc.
Maybe EAZ have discovered a new economic theory and law unknown to man.
The mentality of colonization in the minds of most Africans is still alive and kicking. It will take a long time for most to really be free. Some of the effects of colonized mind is to assume that anything coming from Colonisers is factual and correct and good. The other symptom of colonization is to rubbish everything your Govt. does. It is “fashionable” to criticize any one who supports Govt of the day. But it is interesting to note that when the opposition comes into power everything changes, all of a sudden they become very bad. Africa is among the few continents if any whose citizens are not patriotic to their continent? If any of the countries in Africa found itself in the mess that Britain is, their leader would have received insults left, right and centre. Shame on us.
Yes, we have patriots who steal taxpayers’ money in Zambia. Fine definition of patriotism! And what will critics say when Britain one day sends a black Briton to Zambia as High Commissioner and he or she speaks out against such things?
Should we also deny that the HIV virus kills because a white man found that out ???
White people push each other to succeed but with us black people we never want to see each other succeed we always pull each other down.WE ARE BUSY PLAYING TO THE GALLERY OF THE BRIT HC.THE BRITS ARE NOW PRAISING TRUMP FOR VISITING THEM!
Dr Habazooka has no credibility at all, maybe he wants a job. The man should go back to Russia.
This Ambassador it is reported has links to Africa Confidential. He has said nothing about the lies and half truths peddled by overseas tabloids like Africa confidential, Financial Times And Bloomberg. Like Zambia selling ZESCO to the Chinese or Zambia missing a debt payment. His mission from the start has been to discredit this government and now he has the audacity to question a fully qualified economist because he’s Zambian. Time for us to just accept what is said of us by imperialists and accept it are gone. This mans venom will be seen at election time, he is just waiting to do his part to facilitate regime change. Mr Malenji curb this Trojan horses enthusiasm. I said before that he should be expelled.
These Western Tabloids only report half truths and only the negative side. That’s why any attempt to report on the positive is discredited. They would have the world believe that Africa is an ungovernable, corrupt and diseased place for their own selfish interests because China has outsmarted them and out spent them so the only option is to push for regime change in their interests. British GDP growth has slowed down, productivity has suffered, the pound has depreciated and purchasing power has gone down, and investments have declined since Brexit but if you read these tabloids it’s nothing but a positive spin. Please cancel the Tullow Oil exploration license and any other British interests in Zambia and be rid of this push for regime change. Otherwise this Man will be a thorn in your…
Okay, all those who insult President Lungu and the PF, we have some message for you. Prepare for another massacre in 2021. Dont think we are stup1d and dull, we know what we are doing. Kambwili, if he calms down, starts putting things together in his manifesto with clearly outlined national developmental agenda stands a better chance of contending for the second slot to PF in 2026.
Your HH is visionless, dull and a lost cause. If you asked anyone today what his deliverables (in an event he became president) are as a UPND leader he doesnt know!!! He is against development so why would anyone in his right frame of mind waste a vote on him?
“What do EAZ’s recent statements, e.g. claiming anti-Zambia conspiracy by Bloomberg, say about its credibility and impartiality?”
What credibility are you talking about Your Excellency High Commissioner? Does EAZ under Habanjoka have any credibility left? That Habanzoka has destroyed the EAZ in such a short time, all in a vain attempt to be recognised as a party cadre.
I like this Dyet diplomat, calls a spade a spade. Good advice to EAZ ttoo. I go further to suggest that EAZ call an emergency meeting to impeach that idoit.
Over praising western countries ,this British envoy is very stupid any way.