The Editor Zambia
Zambia needs a conversation about development, jobs, production and livelihoods. The Grow Zambia Agenda must not be drowned out by the third-term debate.
Political debates have a way of consuming the national conversation. Once the issue of a third term enters the public arena, it can dominate headlines, social media discussions and political exchanges, leaving little room for the issues that directly affect the daily lives of ordinary Zambians. 
That is the danger we must recognise.
Whatever one’s position on the third-term debate, Zambia must not lose sight of the development questions that require urgent public attention. The country needs sustained conversations about economic transformation, job creation, local production, entrepreneurship and improved household incomes.
This is where the Grow Zambia Agenda must take centre stage.
If the Grow Zambia Agenda is to deliver meaningful results, Zambians must understand what it seeks to achieve, how it will be implemented and, most importantly, how its success will be measured. It must not remain a government slogan or a subject discussed only during official launches and political gatherings.
It must become a daily national conversation.
Every day, citizens should be learning something new about the programme: its objectives, opportunities for businesses, support for local producers, measures to stimulate production, prospects for employment and the expected benefits for communities.
The communication must be practical, consistent and evidence-based.
If a particular intervention is intended to support farmers, explain how it works and what farmers stand to gain. If it targets small and medium-sized enterprises, explain who qualifies, how businesses can participate and what opportunities exist. If it is designed to stimulate manufacturing, explain how local industries, suppliers and workers could benefit.
Above all, show the results.
How many businesses have benefited? How many sustainable jobs have been created? Has local production increased? Are household incomes improving? Are more Zambian businesses supplying local industries? What evidence shows that people’s lives are changing?
These are the questions that will help citizens understand the real value of the agenda.
Communication must move beyond announcing activities to demonstrating outcomes. It is not enough to report how much money has been spent or how many projects have been launched. The public deserves to know what those investments are achieving.
Those responsible for communicating the Grow Zambia Agenda must therefore develop a disciplined daily content strategy. Each day should bring a clear message, a specific intervention, a practical opportunity, a credible success story or an honest explanation of progress and challenges.
Short videos, infographics, community stories, radio discussions and accessible explanations can help take the programme beyond government offices and into markets, farms, workshops, colleges and households.
The third-term debate may continue to attract attention. That is part of the political environment. However, the existence of a contentious political debate should not prevent the country from discussing its development priorities.
The answer is not to dismiss constitutional questions or tell citizens what they should discuss. It is to ensure that other important national issues receive the attention they deserve.
We must not allow the politics of the moment to eclipse the substance of national development.
The Grow Zambia Agenda needs visibility, but visibility alone is not enough. It needs public understanding, participation, transparency and measurable results. Its communication must be sustained, not activated only when political pressure arises.
Every day presents an opportunity to explain the agenda, connect it to people’s needs and demonstrate progress.
The national conversation must therefore remain broad enough to accommodate political debate while keeping economic development firmly in view.
Let us discuss politics, but let us also discuss production. Let us debate constitutional questions, but let us also talk about jobs, businesses, exports and household incomes. Let us scrutinise public leadership, but let us equally scrutinise the results of public investment.
The Grow Zambia Agenda deserves a consistent, evidence-led national conversation because its real significance will ultimately be judged not by how frequently its name is mentioned, but by what it delivers for the people of Zambia.
The message is simple: do not lose focus. Talk about the Grow Zambia Agenda every day. Explain it. Track it. Measure it. Show the results.
