By EditorZambia
There seem to be a strange trend in our politics whereby people who have never opened the UPND 10 Point Plan document suddenly parade themselves experts on its contents.
The 10-Point Plan is a classic victim of this habit. Many people mock the document not because they have analysed it but because ignorance is louder than evidence. 
Yet this plan is the clearest benchmark on which President Hichilema should be judged.
It outlines exactly what he promised and provides the tools to measure progress. Unlike political gossip, the results are quantifiable.
A serious country evaluates leadership through metrics, not moods. Let’s confront the plan head-on technically, logically, and ask the questions critics, avoiding and scoring each pillar with transparent reasoning.
JOB CREATION
The Question: Can a government claim progress if it expands opportunities where collapse once ruled?
The Facts:
Over 80,000 civil servants recruited teachers, health workers, and security personnel.
Mopani Copper Mine (MCM) and Konkola Copper Mine (KCM), once paralysed by mismanagement, revived and operational again.
Impact: Restored industrial activity and expanded household income nationwide.
Score: 8/10
REDUCE INEQUALITY
The Question: Is equality rhetoric meaningful without equitable allocation of national resources?
The Facts:
Constituency Development Fund (CDF) equalised across all constituencies, ending the era where development followed political loyalty.
Nationwide recruitment ensured to rural districts finally received personnel.
Social Cash Transfer (SCT) increased, cushioning the poorest households.
Impact: Redistribution felt on the ground, not in slogans.
Score: 7.5/10
EDUCATE AND EMPOWER
The Question: What creates long-term national competitiveness cash transfers or human capital?
The Facts:
Free education rolled out 12 years of cost-free access for every child.
Skills training under CDF decentralised and demand-driven.
Impact: Future labour productivity and workforce depth improving.
Score: 8.5/10
ELECTRIFY ZAMBIA
The Question: How do you industrialise a country that lives in the dark?
The Facts:
New towns and settlements connected to the national grid.
ZESCO connection backlog reduced, after years of citizens waiting months for a meter.
The Rural Electrification Authority (REA) is extending rural mini-grids and off-grid solar installations.
Challenge: Loadshedding remains the most stubborn obstacle rooted in climate pressure, past under-investment, and ageing hydro infrastructure.
Mitigation Measures:
Scaling up solar and hybrid plants, including private sector IPPs.
Expanding transmission lines to stabilise regional power trade.
REA accelerating rural electrification schemes, reducing national dependency on big hydro.
Score: 6.5/10 (hampered by drought effects, not policy failure).
IMPROVE COMPETITIVENESS
The Question: Can an economy grow if bureaucrats act as gatekeepers rather than facilitators?
The Facts:
ZEMA and ZPPA procedures are streamlined, reducing approval times.
Border processes modernised to cut delays and enhance trade.
Faster clearance improving Zambia’s profile as a transit and logistics hub.
Impact: Declining administrative friction and better conditions for investors.
Score: 7/10
CUT GOVERNMENT WASTAGE SPENDING
The Question: Can public trust exist in an environment of reckless spending?
The Facts:
Budget deficits reduced, stabilising fiscal space.
Corruption fight enhanced cases pursued regardless of political colour.
Procurement scrutiny tightened.
Impact: More resources have been redirected to services, not political appetites.
Score: 7.5/10
AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT
The Question: Can a nation import food forever and call it sovereignty?
The Facts:
Farm block development revived turning idle land into production zones.
Infrastructure and irrigation planning are underway to move farming from rain-fed chance to predictable output.
Impact: Slow but meaningful structural shift.
Score: 6.5/10
STABLE AND CONSISTENT POLICIES
The Question: Without policy stability, who invests? Who plans?
The Facts:
GDP growth restored after pandemic and debt-induced stagnation.
Debt restructuring advanced unlocking confidence and fiscal breathing room.
Impact: Predictability returning to the market landscape.
Score: 8/10
A HEALTHY NATION
The Question: What is development worth if citizens are too sick to participate in it?
The Facts:
Thousands of new health workers have been employed countrywide.
Drug availability significantly improved after years of chronic shortages.
Impact: Stronger primary healthcare backbone.
Score: 8/10
GOOD GOVERNANCE
The Question: Can a democracy function when law and order depend on political identity?
The Facts:
Law and order restored public space calmer.
Assertive message: Nobody is above the law.
Institutions operating with fewer instructions from party offices.
Impact: Institutional credibility improving.
Score: 7.5/10
FINAL VERDICT: A BALANCED, EVIDENCE-BASED PASS RATE
When you aggregate long-term, medium-term, and short-term solutions embedded in the plan, the picture is clear:
Some achievements are immediate and visible.
Others are structural and require years to mature fully.
A few areas, especially power security face forces larger than political will alone.
Overall Score: 7.5/10
A strong, data-backed performance with realistic challenges still on the table.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Critics mock the 10-Point Plan because slogans are easier than analysis. But Zambia must outgrow political laziness. If citizens demand accountability, they must also demand accuracy. On accuracy, the scorecard speaks louder than the noise.
If more people read before shouting, our political debates would finally move from insults to insight.
