President Hakainde Hichilema has reaffirmed that the UPND New Dawn administration continues to prioritise human dignity, equity, social justice, equality, and non-discrimination as central pillars of national development.

Delivering a speech during the Fifth Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly on progress made in the application of national values and principles, the President highlighted government efforts to expand community-driven investment and strengthen social protection systems.

“We have empowered the youth and women. We have improved access to education, health, water, and justice, the foundations of a loving and caring Zambian society,” he said.

The Head of State pointed to the significant increase in the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) as a key example of government’s commitment to inclusive development, noting that allocations have risen from K1.6 million in 2021 to K40 million in 2026 per constituency.

“Let me repeat, from K1.6 million to K40 million in less than five years. And we are going to increase this again next year if, through God’s will, the people of Zambia give us another mandate,” President Hichilema said.

He explained that the enhanced CDF has enabled targeted support for youth, women, and vulnerable groups through initiatives such as bursaries for secondary boarding school learners and skills development programmes.

“This is a giant step in the right direction. And we will not rest until every Zambian family feels the benefit of this generational change,” he added.

The President further noted that government has expanded social protection programmes across the country, including increasing the value of social cash transfers for vulnerable households.

“This year alone, we have increased the number of beneficiary households on social cash transfer from 1.3 million to 1.5 million countrywide. Under the food security pack, the number of vulnerable but viable farmers has increased from 240,000 to 320,000 beneficiaries,” President Hichilema said.