In this exclusive interview, President Hakainde Hichilema discusses his transition from businessman to the highest political office in Zambia. He reflects on his motivations for entering politics, saying it became clear to him that sound economic policies were vital to allow businesses to flourish, leading to job creation and better opportunities for the Zambian people.'We can't share poverty', he says. 'We can't redistribute nothing'. 

President Hichilema speaks of the challenges faced during his tenure, including the Covid pandemic and the worst drought in living memory. A year before the next presidential election, he outlines the strategies he has implemented for economic recovery and the achievements of his administration so far, which include bringing two million children back into education. He discusses his hopes for big increases in copper mining, backed by international investors, and his determination to boost the management and processing of Zambia's raw materials for added value.

The president explains how Zambia managed to reduce from 50% to 15% tariffs imposed by the Trump administration - and it didn't involve agreeing to take in people deported from the US. 

On the controversial issue of the burial of his predecessor, President Hichilema is adamant. The body of Edgar Lungu, who died in South Africa, must be returned to Zambia against the wishes of his family. 'The larger family of 20 million Zambians have prescribed how the former president must be buried,' he says. He decries allegations that witchcraft is involved, saying that as a Christian he has never believed in witchcraft. 

Addressing claims that Zambia is moving towards authoritarianism, President Hichilema denies that the democratic space is shrinking. He says that unlike his predecessors, he hasn't shut down TV or radio stations and election candidates are free to travel anywhere in the country.

Finally, explaining why he can often be seen wearing white gloves, the president insists it's because of his belief in the importance of tradition, inherited from the British, rather than membership of any secret society.

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