H.E. Hakainde Hichilema
President | Republic of Zambia
Hakainde Hichilema, a self-made successful businessman, was the energetic leader of the major opposition political party in Zambia the United Party for National Development (UPND), which won the elections held on 12th August, 2021.
Hichilema was born on June 4 1962 in the southern district of Monze. After attending primary school, he went to Kalomo Secondary School before being admitted to the University of Zambia on a government bursary where he studied and graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics and Business Administration. He later obtained an MBA degree in Finance and Business Strategy from the University of Birmingham, UK.
Since then, Hichilema, affectionately known as HH, has carved out an impressive track record in business, both locally and internationally. A large commercial famer, Hichilema is now the second biggest cattle rancher in Zambia on four ranches, and is one of the biggest suppliers of meat to the local Zambian market, as well as one of Zambia’s biggest exporter of hard-currency-earning beef products. He also holds substantial investments in Zambia’s tourism sector.
Following his university education Hichilema ascended to top positions in Zambia’s corporate world, landing such prestigious jobs as CEO of Coopers and Lybrand at the tender age of 32 years old, from 1994 to 1998, and later as CEO of Cooper’s successor, Grant Thornton, from 1998 to 2006. He was the biggest local shareholder in two foreign-owned companies; including Barclays Bank Zambia Plc. Hichilema is also a trained Business Negotiator, a qualified Change Management Practitioner and is a member of the Zambia Institute of Directors.
HH won the presidency of the UPND in 2006 following the death of its leader, Anderson Mazoka, his business mentor and close friend. Since then ruling party politicians have, unsuccessfully, poured their energy into trying to keep him tied up in legal cases which he has refused to let stand in his way. This approach to keeping HH, as he is popularly known, off the ballot led to his incarceration on trumped up treason charges over traffic incident where his convoy was forced off the road but would later be lumped as treason charges. He was detained for 127 days from 17th April 2017. From the moment on, HH would gain more popularity, as it became apparent that the fight was no longer political but personal.
In January 2015 presidential by-election Hichilema came second in the race to Edgar Lungu, the candidate of the incumbent PF, falling short by just 27,000 votes (1%). He would repeat this feat in 2016 where again he failed to make it past the 50%+1 threshold with less than 2% of the majority vote. However, Hichilema began to show signs of gaining popularity by increasing his tally of actual votes in areas traditionally considered PF strongholds.
He has run his campaigns throughout, on a strong economic platform, arguing that Zambia needs a leader who understands business and can turn around the economy in order to unlock developmental benefits in health, education and elsewhere. This was buttressed by the fact that the country’s economy started faltering such that by the time the 2021 elections were being held, the kwacha had depreciated by over 100% in the life of the PF, against the US dollar. In an import dependent economy, this gave rise to the cost of living, lack of jobs, lack of basic health care and quality education. The factors coalesced into a cocktail that resonated with the youth and the general population. His strategy of reaching out to the young voters who in most cases were first time voters, worked very well in the run up to the 2021 elections. He eventually earned his now famous moniker of “Bally” which further endeared him to majority youthful voters.
He is passionate about delivering improvements in Zambia’s education system so that every young Zambian has that same opportunity he had to receive government support that can empower youths to launch a successful career in which they can earn a decent wage, provide for their family and help grow the Zambian economy.
Finally, Hichilema is not just a politician and a businessman, he is also a philanthropist, donating to community activities and projects such as clinics, schools, sinking boreholes and building dams to enhance agriculture activities. He is married to Mutinta and together they have three children.
