By Brian Matambo

On Diamond Live, People’s Alliance for Change president Andyford Banda painted a combative picture of Zambia’s political and economic landscape, arguing that the next election will be decided by citizens hungry for tangible change, not tidy statistics. Fresh from an unopposed convention win, Banda said PAC has survived ten intense years because it “stands for something,” and now intends to “reset the economy” so Zambians hold a guaranteed stake in it.

“NUMBERS DO NOT FEED FAMILIES”
President Banda dismissed government triumphalism over GDP growth, inflation, debt restructuring, and other headline figures, insisting the question that matters is impact. If profits are repatriated and locals are confined to the margins, he said, economic growth remains a scoreboard with no winners at home. He challenged the ruling party’s self-assessment, describing it as “setting its own targets then declaring victory,” while ordinary people still face high food, fuel, and transport costs.

A PROTECTION PLAN FOR LOCAL PLAYERS
PAC’s core pitch is deliberate protection and promotion of local participation. President Banda argued for policies and legislation that ring-fence space for Zambian firms in sectors routinely dominated by foreign capital. He cited transport platforms, retail niches, even second-hand vehicle markets, and said policy must be intentional if Zambia is to develop homegrown champions who reinvest profits locally.

CONSTITUTION FIRST, POLITICS SECOND
President Banda called for a people-driven constitutional reset, not a partisan project. He backed long-standing proposals such as appointing cabinet from outside Parliament to widen the talent pool and reduce political patronage. He also pushed for an independent, professional civil service where technocrats are protected from political purges, and where service to the public outlasts changes in State House.

RURAL POVERTY AND THE FARMING MATH
On agriculture, President Banda welcomed the bumper harvest and new financing facilities, but questioned scale and equity. If support reaches thousands while hundreds of thousands of smallholders remain excluded, he argued, rural poverty will harden. PAC’s position is to expand access to finance, technical assistance, and irrigation, and to build structures that enable many more small and medium farmers to thrive, not just a select commercial tier.

CDF IS NOT A SILVER BULLET
President Banda acknowledged the increased Constituency Development Fund and the visible classroom and clinic upgrades it has delivered, but said its share of the national budget is too small to transform livelihoods at scale. For mass job creation, he pointed to a World Bank projection that Zambia needs hundreds of thousands of jobs annually, which in his view requires “revolutionary” industrial policy rather than incremental spending.

FREE EDUCATION, BUT FIX QUALITY
PAC supports keeping free education and improving it. Banda warned that teacher-to-pupil ratios are untenable and argued for more recruitment and infrastructure so classrooms deliver learning, not just headcounts.

2026 AND THE “WIND OF CHANGE”
President Banda believes Africa’s political mood is shifting. Young, informed voters are demanding meaning over rhetoric, and Zambia is not insulated. He framed 2026 as an inflection point and condensed PAC’s rallying cry into a slogan he repeated throughout the interview: “This time, it is time for Zambia.” In practice, that means policy choices that put Zambian interests first, guarantee local participation in value creation, professionalise the state, and stop treating economic success as a scoreboard detached from everyday life.

Bottom line: PAC is selling a reset. President Banda’s challenge to the incumbents is simple. If people cannot feel the progress, then the progress is not real.

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