Kalaba Slams Government’s Economic Messaging: “Zambians Are Tired of GDP Rhetoric”
Lusaka, Zambia – Veteran politician and former Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba has launched a scathing critique of the government’s portrayal of economic progress, dismissing recent narratives around Zambia’s GDP growth as misleading and out of touch with the lived realities of ordinary citizens. His remarks, aimed squarely at officials who tout economic figures as signs of national prosperity, signal mounting frustration among opposition leaders over what they call “statistical spin.”
Speaking at a public forum, Kalaba directly challenged recent claims by Ministry of Finance officials that Zambia’s economy is growing steadily, citing mining exports and optimistic GDP forecasts. “The mining sector contributes over 70 percent of our export value, but in terms of GDP, it’s only around 12 percent,” he noted. “So how can anyone say the sector is thriving?”
Kalaba’s critique centers on what he sees as a disconnect between projected growth and actual developmental outcomes. While Zambia’s macroeconomic indicators may show slight improvements, he argues that those gains have not translated into better livelihoods, job creation, or poverty reduction particularly in rural and underserved communities.
“These numbers are not helping anyone on the ground. Zambians are tired of figures,” Kalaba said. “You hear someone saying, ‘Last year the GDP was 2.5%, this year it’s 3.4%, and next year it’ll be 6%.’ But what do those percentages mean for someone who can’t afford a bag of mealie meal?”
The critique appeared to be aimed at Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane, whom Kalaba accused albeit indirectly of presenting inflated optimism. “Those GDPs of his are not helping us,” Kalaba quipped, prompting applause from attendees at the event.
His comments come as Zambia continues to recover from a prolonged debt crisis and grapples with economic headwinds including inflation, currency fluctuations, and a persistent youth unemployment rate. The government has pointed to structural reforms and international support, including a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as evidence of a country on the mend. But critics argue that reforms have disproportionately benefited elites and foreign investors while leaving ordinary citizens behind.
A major point of contention, Kalaba noted, is the mining sector itself. While foreign mining firms receive generous tax incentives and policy concessions, their economic impact remains limited when measured by contribution to GDP or employment creation. “Incentivizing foreign corporations without ensuring real local benefits that’s a failed strategy,” he added.
Economists and civil society organizations have echoed some of Kalaba’s concerns. Though GDP remains a critical measure of national output, experts argue that it often fails to capture inequality, quality of life, or grassroots economic resilience. “Growth must be inclusive,” says economist Dr. Mirriam Banda. “If your GDP is rising but your people are getting poorer, then you’ve misread your own success.”
Kalaba’s remarks reflect a broader opposition narrative that seeks to reframe Zambia’s economic debate around equity, dignity, and accountability. Rather than championing abstract economic milestones, he called on the government to address core needs such as education, healthcare, rural development, and access to affordable commodities.
“There’s a difference between economic figures and economic justice,” Kalaba said. “We must stop hiding behind percentages and start delivering results that people can feel in their homes.”
Mr. Kalaba, how many times does your stomach growls in a year? let me cut the chase, how effective is and was your leadership style. During your stint in PF, how good was your speeches when it came to transcending to practical development with no later bad effect on the economy? Working for the Government is not like working for grandma’s Popsicle or Watalala shop by the roadside. It’s working for the people and being honesty is very important. Taking people, the taxpayer for granted is playing with the citizens’ mind. It’s terrible and dangerous. The UPND is telling the Zambians the truth, the only to improve the GDP can with economy, hence the buying power. To me, every time you open your mouth show how you have become a washout politician.
Kalaba is just seeking relevance….
He knows the state of the country UPND found………it was a moral , economic and social mess……compounded by one of the worst droughts and load shedding…….
3.5 years later into a 5 year mandate and it’s a not too shabby a job done so far by UPND………
FWD2041
Continue blaming everything under the sun for the failure of your boss to control his GRZ
speak to people where ever you go and the name is the same and it’s not UPND but HH now how do you explain that ???
Lamentable failure by the UPND. In case of short memory – Fuel will be K12, Mealie meal K50, Fertiliser K250, sworn in at 10hrs and Kwacha picks at 14hrs, same day service. There fore, let us examine these things and be honest or else let us remove the Christian nation issue from our constitution. Based on the above, failure is evident. You can talk of free education but every body knows that food matters come first. Your economic decline stated even before the drought.
Who eats GDP. Official records say you are the 6th hungriest nation in the world. Statistic published even before the drought 2021 to 2023. So please start working, you are late. Propaganda won’t save you in the ballot in 2026 Free Advice
UPND full of talk, nothing happening on the ground. Loadshedding is still there, but in Dubai where there is no rain it’s not there. Cost of living very high, they have the Guinness world record of excuses – remember they started with blaming PF, then blamed the Ukraine war, then they were going to increase prices to reduce them, then settled for the most convenient one which was the drought, when we know that even before the drought food prices and other things had already sky rocketed under their watch.
Zambia was spending money than the revenue. It’s time to balance the budget.
I wonder whether Kalaba has anything resembling an economic think tank in Citizen First to dispute the figures by Musokotwane or just speaking from reading novels.Ba Kalaba statistical data is not meant for eating by the common man.They are meant for planning purposes by those educated enough to visualize future growth pathways.How can you attain economic equity and justice without planning first
Macro economies have stabilized,now is time for the micro economies jigsaw puzzle to begin fallin in place and we talk about better livelihoods for most Zambians
Very sensible comment. If Mr Kalaba faults the use of GDP as a measure of economic growth and performance, perhaps he should have suggested an alternative that his government will be using. Sure GDP may not be a perfect measure of how everyone in the country is doing, but it is a globally used measure that does have its uses. This thing of playing to the semi-illiterates may have worked for Sata, but Zambians have come some way since those days. Or could it be that he is not playing at all and this is really his understanding of economic issues?
Kalaba is certainly seeking political relevance with his unrealistic GDP figures. In real life, GDP actually takes 20 to 30yrs of consistently healthy growth to lift millions outta poverty.
Ask China ,Botswana,Singapore or Chile how long it took them to get to their current economic promised land.
You examples are lacking apart from one
Exactly that………
Flash GDP figures are nothing but false hope or like bribing the poor……..
you can’t depend on GDP figures that is only 3 years old……..
GDP that is that young is hardly seen by the masses
FWD2041
China has been the world’s growing economy in the past 40 years thus stunning so called free world capitalists. Its unemployment rate always baffles economists from Havard and Oxford. China has always been a command economy. Botswana has also been a command economy of sorts. Given its lack of democracy as seen from the European man’s point of view its one big industry is state controlled. Chile Botswana promised land? Highly debatable. When everyone has electricity and piped water in these countries they will be on the way to the promised land
*Corr: China has been the world’s fastest growing economy in the past 40 years
GDP growth of 5% and below can not translate to poverty reduction, unless the GDP per Capita is above $6,000
The mines are the biggest let down this country has had since Copper prices fell in 1973. They claim to be investing billions of USD but most of this money is on CAPEX which often is even sold off at the time the so called mining investor leaves. Apart from job creation there is nothing of real value that the mines are bringing in, absolutely nothing. You have to be objective and compare the environmental damage, power consumption (mines are the reason we have load shedding and not bad weather) to a false narrative of someone saying they are bringing in 1billion dollars which could be just 5,000 dump trucks and a
Smelting plant.
In that sector Chile which also is copper dependent like us has managed mining better than ZCCM.
New dawn is wasting alot of money on constitution amendment and to bring extra
MPs which will be extra cost on the budget hence asking for extra supplimentary budget.
That’s what you said about free education,about student meal allowanes,about increased CDF,remember all you men of very short memories that have refused to learn
This moron Kalaba overates himself too much….with morons like this in opposition expect a landslide victory in favor of HH…..we just don’t have meaningful opposition….just useless Pompwes
Kalaba please go out there and get a job and contribute to the development of Zambia…the problem with these morons they think the only way they can contribute to Zambian is by being a Politician…am tired of these so called Politicians….all of them….both in the ruling party and opposition….
Kalaba, please tell these characters, We have had enough of the circus. They have all excuses under the sun, even saying UPND found a mess, how can it be a mess when you found FRA full of maize in strategic reserves on taking over government
Ati GDP is growing, when will jokes ever end in Zambia.
PF Fuel K17 UPND K28
PF Mealie meal K130 UPND K300
PF Exchange rate K21 UPND K27
Do you need to go to school to see what is happening here. If only free education was food, but even then there was no educational crisis in Zambia before the much talked about free education which has completely no impact on our lives. Kalaba is on the right side of justice
I voted for cheaper mealie meal, cheaper fuel(are the middlemen still there?) and a low cost of living and end to loadshedding not this psychological free education thing. I never went into that ballot for it in August 2021
Zambia at cross roads, Ruling party misfiring with no direction on the economy. Even celebrating a bumper harvest when we could have got more looking at hectarage planted, the day Zambians will wake up is when somebody will bring proper mechanised farming for peasant farmers to grow ten times more than now is when people will open their eyes and see that this so called bumper harvest which is being celebrated now is an under performance
Visible signs of a failed project. Today self praise of debt restructuring, following day pronouncements of millions of dollars investment in the mines, the other day celebrating improved moodys ratings, the other day proclaiming GDP growth, meanwhile the livelihoods of your people are at a standstill and mark timing. And Sunday you are in Church and people are even clapping that our politicians have come, and they will leave money for church project and life goes on, leaders not even being held to account for their promises. Only in the third world for sure.
@ Cleopatra Jones
Lamentable failure by the UPND. In case of short memory – Fuel will be K12, Mealie meal K50, Fertiliser K250, sworn in at 10hrs and Kwacha picks at 14hrs,
That is the problem with lack of school with these guys, please try to understand the value of your kwacha changes every day, simply use indexation to arrive at the equivalent amount those commodities can fetch now not what you are telling us. We have now free education, kindly go back to school to avoid ignorance sure.
Nothing to do with school here. Cleopatra could even be more educated. You can only feel the economy from the stomach not from rhetoric and empty slogans. World renowned economists have said, you can argue that you are doing well and mislead people but one thing and one thing only ,the exchange rate, will expose you. Our exact situation
Ask Kalaba where does he work? What job does he do to contribute to the GDP…..nada…zero…just criticizing 24/7….Kalaba is surviving via handouts and he is complaining about our economy….these Politicians are jokers…..The first thing Kalaba should do is go out and get a paying job….show us your pay slip at the end of the month….not blah blah blah….am not UPND but i think HH is trying just that HH is a confused chap and a pompwe also
The opposition should just get organised but with a plan. The current guys are just wasting our time. Full of visilili
@Independent cadre do you know what is the rarest thing? Good organization. You need a good organizer to triumph.
But do you know what is most important? Money. And the opposition don’t seem like they can get together and organize it. Maybe they will surprise us?
Your own youth chairman has been on record saying things are not okay on the ground and we should defend the President, then iwe you buy tuma bundles and try to defend a clearly misfiring outfit with the cost of living worsening by the day.