President Hakainde Hichilema has called on traditional leaders across the country to take a leading role in supporting the Grow Zambia Agenda, telling subjects gathered for the Chuungu traditional ceremony in Chief Chikanta's area in Kalomo that all components of the growth agenda are found in the chiefdoms.
The Chuungu ceremony is a thanksgiving event at which subjects celebrate the crop yields of the previous farming season and prepare for the next agricultural season — a fitting stage for a growth plan whose first target is ten million tonnes of maize a year.
As the Government pursues the Grow Zambia Agenda, we call upon all citizens, traditional leaders, farmers, young people, businesses and other stakeholders to play their part in building a more productive and prosperous Zambia.
— President Hichilema, in a speech read on his behalf by Southern Province Acting Permanent Secretary Mr Gift Monde — Zambia Daily Mail
The President paired the development message with a warning on order, saying Zambians must sustain peace as a cornerstone for economic growth. “We must never take our peace for granted and no lawlessness shall be tolerated, regardless of political or other affiliation,” he said, adding that a peaceful and stable Zambia is what attracts local and foreign investment, creates jobs and secures a better future.
He said that since assuming office in 2021, the New Dawn administration has worked to restore confidence in democratic institutions and strengthen respect for the rule of law. The state news agency ZANIS carried the call to traditional leaders in its Monday evening bulletin, placing it among the day's leading items.
The Grow Zambia Agenda, unveiled when the President opened the 14th National Assembly on Friday, sets eight annual targets — among them ten million tonnes of maize, 10,000 megawatts of electricity, three million tonnes of copper, five million tourist arrivals and US$1 billion in beef exports. Much of that production is expected to come from the rural areas whose chiefs hosted the weekend's ceremonies.
Sources: Zambia Daily Mail, “HH thanks God for privilege to serve” (12 Oct 2026); ZANIS, “ZANIS News at 20:00hrs, 12 October 2026” (12 Oct 2026); Mwebantu, “Hichilema Unveils Grow Zambia Agenda, Sets Eight National Targets” (9 Oct 2026).