New Year Address to the Nation 2026

President Hichilema delivered his New Year address to the nation on the eve of 2026, broadcast on ZNBC TV and radio. The address came as Zambia entered an election year, with the 2026 general elections scheduled for August.

In his message, the President acknowledged that there were still socio-economic pressures of a recovering economy, which resulted in pain and frustrations among citizens. "But hear me clearly, we are not where we were in 2021 - certainly not. We are no longer retracting our steps; we are moving ahead with purpose. We are rising and we are rebuilding," President Hichilema said.

The President highlighted the major achievements of the UPND administration: the restoration of free education; the strengthening of the kwacha and stabilisation of the economy; the revival of the mining sector with thousands of new jobs; and a historic maize harvest of almost four million metric tonnes after the worst drought in living memory the previous season.

"We restored free education and opened the door of opportunity for every child of Zambia. We brought back law and order, dignity and indeed fairness. We strengthened our currency, stabilised our economy, restored the mining sector with thousands of jobs and business opportunities. We are now knocking on the doors of one million metric tonnes of copper production this year," he said.

Looking ahead to the election year, the President called for peace and dialogue. "As we enter the election year, let us lift our hands, hearts and dreams and lift the banner of peace and dialogue. We will protect the peace that holds us together as One Zambia, One Nation and One People. We will not stop until every Zambian benefits from that which we are fighting for."

"These are not promises but victories for every Zambian. The journey may be tough. But the destination is worth it. We must trust the process. The path may be long but God is with us," President Hichilema concluded.