Hakainde Hichilema (1962- )

April 28, 2022 
/ Contributed By: David Zuber

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The seventh and current president of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, was inaugurated on August 24, 2021. Hichilema was born on June 4, 1962, in the Monze District of Zambia. Little is known about his childhood. In 1986, he graduated from the University of Zambia with a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration. He then earned a Master’s of Business Administration in Finance and Business Strategy at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.

Hakainde Hichilema (United States Institute of Peace)

Between 1994 and 1998, Hichilema served as the Chief Operating Officer of Coopers and Lybrand in Zambia. From 1998 to 2006, he served as the CEO of Grant Thornton, Zambia. In 2006, he was elected President of the United Party for National Development. He was the party candidate for president in the elections of 2006, 2008, 2011, 2015, and 2016. He lost every election. In the 2015 election, he lost by only 27,757 votes (1%).

In early 2017, Hichilema was arrested when his convoy of vehicles failed to make way for President Edgar Lungu’s motorcade. He was charged with treason and spent four months in jail before the charges were dismissed. In the 2021 election, Hichilema won in a landslide over sitting President Edgar Lungu. This was a rare incidence where an incumbent African president was defeated by a first-time candidate was defeated by the leader of the loyal opposition in the national legislature. Hichilema was inaugurated as the seventh president of Zambia on August 24, 2021.

Hakainde Hichilema (BBC)

In his inaugural address, Hichilema said that “no Zambian should go to bed hungry.” He promised to revive the country’s stagnant economy, provide jobs for unemployed youth, and pledged that his administration would have zero tolerance for corruption. He also promised an inclusive government as “diversity is strength.”

Hakainde Hichilema is generally referred to as “HH” throughout Zambia. He and his wife, Mutinta, have three children: Chikonka, Miyanda, and Habwela.

About the Author

Author Profile

David Zuber is a retired high school counselor and principal. He earned a Master’s Degree from the Centre of West African Studies at the University of Birmingham, England and a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Humboldt State University, Arcata, California. He has authored two books Behind the Mask: The British Cotton Growing Association 1902-1923 and An American Indian’s Encounter with the 1930s Judicial System. He resides near his birthplace in northern California.

CITE THIS ENTRY IN APA FORMAT:

Zuber, D. (2022, April 28). Hakainde Hichilema (1962- ). BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/hakainde-hichilema-1962/

Source of the Author's Information:

“Hakainde Hichilema,” https://prabook.com/web/hakainde.hichilema/2327034; “Hakainde Hichilema: the Zambian ‘cattle boy’ who became president,” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58229710; “Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema: No-one should go to be hungry,” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58306175.

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