Rise in Fuel Prices “inevitably going to hit hard on majority”: Jesuit Scholars in Zambia

While announcing the new fuel prices on March 31, ERB Chairperson, Reynolds Bowa, said the upward revision of the rates has been occasioned by the continued strain in global oil supply mainly due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine that has exerted additional pressure on the already escalating oil prices on the international market.

Following the ERB announcement, Zambia’s Presidential Spokesperson, Anthony Bwalya, said President Hakainde Hichilema is urging citizens and industry players to be extra resilient as the government continues to aggressively work towards stabilizing and ultimately lowering the fuel pump price.

In the April 3 statement, JCTR officials say while the government has called on Zambians to be resilient “because it is aggressively working towards stabilizing and ultimately lowering fuel pump prices and improve the general economic welfare of Zambians,” the nation’s leadership is yet to implement its key economic commitments. 

“It is yet to be seen if what Government is pointing to as its key commitments such as delivery on Constituency Development Fund, rolling-out of social cash transfer program, implementation of free education program, payment of salary arrears for local government employees, recruitment of health and education workers will be enough to cushion Zambian households from the pangs of the rising cost of living when the fuel pump prices still remain very high in the short term,” officials of the Zambia-based research institute say.

They query, “What does the Government say to a poor household in Chibolya compound which is not a beneficiary of any of the above listed programs and yet it now has to pay more for food and other basic necessities?” 

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Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.