By Lovemore Lubinda
The National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) Presidential Candidate Brian Mundubile has cast his vote at Olympia Park Secondary School.
Speaking to journalists shortly after voting, Mundubile who is President Hakainde Hichilema’s main challenger described the ballot as a turning point for the country.
“I have just cast my vote. That vote means restoration of peace and unity,” he said.
“That vote means empowerment of youths. That vote means empowerment of…”
“This is indeed our second independence and I want every Zambian to celebrate,” he added.
“Thank you very much,” he said.
Mundubile thanked citizens for their support and called on those who have not yet voted to do so.
Mundubile also noted the low voter turnout in Southern Province, a stronghold of the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND).
He said the signs on the ground indicate that Zambians want change.
“Signs are there indicating that Zambians want change, restoration of peace, restoration of freedom of expression, a Zambia with a working economy,” he said.
Throughout the campaign period, Mundubile emphasized the need for the country to reset, saying the rule of law is at stake.
On the economic front, Mundubile said his vision is bold, adding that his administration shall transform all areas of the economy including agriculture, moving it from subsistence to prosperity.
He said Zambia should move from exporting raw produce to exporting finished products. He referenced his recent Farmers’ Day message to outline the plan:
FARMERS’ DAY MESSAGE BY BRIAN MUNTAYALWA MUNDUBILE, NRPUP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
“When Farmers Prosper, Zambia Prospers.”
“Fellow Zambians,
Today, we celebrate the true heroes of our nation.
The men and women who rise before dawn. The hands that till the soil. The families who endure scorching heat, drought, floods and uncertainty so that the rest of us can eat.
Our farmers do not simply grow crops.
They grow hope. They grow jobs. They grow Zambia.
On this Farmers’ Day, I salute every small-scale farmer, every commercial farmer, every livestock keeper, every fisher, every poultry producer and every young person choosing agriculture as a business. Your sacrifice feeds our nation and keeps our economy alive.
Yet there is a painful contradiction.
The very people who feed Zambia are too often the ones who go hungry. The very people who drive our economy are too often the ones left waiting.
Year after year, farmers have been forced to endure delayed payments, escalating prices of fertilizer, seed and fuel, uncertainty over markets, and persistent shortcomings in the Farmer Input Support Programme. Instead of rewarding those who produce our food, the system has too often punished them.
A nation that neglects its farmers undermines its own future.
The NRPUP says enough is enough.
We believe agriculture is not a poverty programme. Agriculture is Zambia’s greatest economic opportunity.
Our vision is bold. We shall transform agriculture from subsistence to prosperity.
From exporting raw produce to exporting finished products. From producing crops alone to producing wealth. From farming for survival to farming for success.
Under an NRPUP Government, agriculture will become one of the largest creators of jobs and one of the biggest contributors to Zambia’s Gross Domestic Product.
We will ensure that farmers receive inputs on time and transparently. We will expand irrigation so that farming is no longer held hostage by the rains. We will improve access to affordable finance, strengthen extension services, open up markets and invest in modern storage and transport infrastructure.
Most importantly, we will drive value addition and industrialization across every province.
Instead of exporting maize, we will produce breakfast cereals, stock feed and starch.
Instead of exporting soya beans, we will produce cooking oil, animal feed and industrial products.
Instead of selling live animals, we will expand meat processing, leather production and dairy industries. Instead of exporting opportunity, we will create jobs here at home.
Every district has the potential to become an agro-industrial hub. Every province can become a center of production. Every young person can find dignity and prosperity in agriculture. That is how we will reduce the cost of living, not through promises, but through increased production, stronger value chains, and thriving local industries.
Our message to Zambia’s farmers is simple:
You deserve respect.
You deserve fair prices.
You deserve timely support.
You deserve a government that works as hard as you do.
To our young people, I say this: The future is not only in offices. The future is also in our fields, our fisheries, our orchards, our livestock enterprises and our agro-processing factories. Agriculture is not the past. Agriculture is the future.
As we celebrate Farmers’ Day, let us unite around one national mission: to make Zambia the food basket and agro-industrial powerhouse of Southern Africa.
Together, we can build a nation where no farmer is forgotten, no harvest is wasted, and no family goes hungry.
Together, we can build a Zambia where those who feed the nation finally share in its prosperity.
To every farmer across our beloved country, thank you. Zambia honors you. We in NRPUP stand with you.
Happy Farmers’ Day.
May God bless our farmers.
May God bless the Republic of Zambia.”
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