GOVERNMENT OF ZAMBIA RESPONDS TO OUTGOING US AMBASSADOR'S SPEECH 🇿🇲 🇺🇲

Added: 2026-05-08

[00:00:00]Good evening and welcome to Kendumbo online. The government of the Republic of Zambia has officially issued a statement in response to the statement given by the outgoing American ambassador to Zambia, Ambassador Michael Gonzalez. In its response, the government of the Republic of Zambia described the statement given by Ambassador Gonzalez as regrettable, undiplomatic, and contrary to the spirit of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.

[00:00:31]Among other things, the government of Zambia has responded to are assessions by Ambassador Michael Gonzalez that the relationship between Zambia and the United States of America was limited to aid. Speaking on behalf of the government of the Republic of Zambia was none other than foreign affairs and international cooperations minister Mulamo Haimebe. The government of the Republic of Zambia wishes to express its deep concern over the statements issued by the outgoing United States ambassador to Zambia, his excellency Mr. Michael Gonzalez, here in referred to as the outgoing ambassador during a farewell reception held in his honor on 30th April 2026 at his official residence in Lusaka.

[00:01:23]The assessions by the outgoing ambassador in his statement are deeply regrettable and diplomatic and inconsistent with the spirit of mutual respect that underpins relations between sovereign nations. The statement is also contrary to the spirit of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961. The convention which clearly stipulates the conduct of diplomats serving in receiving states. The remarks by the outgoing ambassador violate amongst others article three of the convention which stipulates the functions of a diplomatic mission and article 41 which requires diplomats to not only respect the laws and regulations of the receiving state but also not to interfere in the internal relations of the host.

[00:02:12]Members of the press, to start, it is important to clarify that contrary to the statement by the outgoing ambassador, the relationship between Zambia and the United States, which I'll refer to as the US for convenience, is not nor has it has it been centered around aid.

[00:02:32]that the outgoing ambassador can make such a careless assertion suggests that his understanding of the US Zambia relations is and has been limited. This could explain the peculiar conduct of the outgoing ambassador.

[00:02:48]Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between Zambia and the United States on 24th October 1964 with Robert Fallund serving as Shaj affairs at interim until the appointment of the first United States ambassador to Zambia, his excellency Robert C. Good on 11th March 1965.

[00:03:08]US Zambia relations have been centered in Telia around shared values and experiences, unconditional friendship and mutual respect for one another as sovereign states.

[00:03:22]>> Interestingly, through government's response, the Minister of Foreign Affairs also attended to an issue that has been of public attention for a long time because of how international media has been reporting it. And this is an issue regarding the $200 billion health package offered to the Zambians by the American people. And in response, this is what the government has said.

[00:03:46]>> It must be noted that in terms of the proposed healthou by which the US graciously and generously offered support of up to 2 billion United States of America dollars to Zambia over the next 5 years. The US and Zambia are yet to agree on certain of the terms pro proposed in the draftou.

[00:04:07]Whilst negotiations have been ongoing for a period of time, this cannot be referred to as ignoring the offer by the US or indeed as being nonresponsiveness on the part of government.

[00:04:21]We must emphasize that the government of the Republic of Zambia owes a duty to the people to protect their interests at all times. In the same way that the US government must protect US citizens interests and therefore the ongoing negotiations reflect that reality.

[00:04:40]For clarity, the Zambian government wishes to state unequivocally that the stalled negotiations on the healthou are as a consequence of the incorporation of terms that the Zambian government considers unacceptable such as those relating to sharing of data in violation of our citizens rights of privacy.

[00:05:01]These matters are the subject of litigation in Zambian courts and this must be respected.

[00:05:07]Aside from that, these provisions are considered unconscionable from the perspective of the people of Zambia and therefore government reiterates that it has a duty to protect those interests.

[00:05:20]Hence the negotiations reaching a temporary impass.

[00:05:25]>> Honorable Wait, wait.

[00:05:28]Uhuh.

[00:05:33]Honorable Wait first. What did you drink for you to issue that statement?

[00:05:40]No.

[00:06:04]No, we can say anything else about our leaders.

[00:06:09]But this is that the state has taken to protect the interest of we the citizen need to be commended by every one of us.

[00:06:21]Me I never thought I I of course I heard rumors. I even talked about it but of course some people thought no but we had but to hear the confirmation that one of the reasons why this conversation has because the government is protecting our data is protecting our information and the government is ready to do anything to protect no I honorable I love the courage I love the confidence and I love we are BS that we have grown as a country to just stand and say no to this. No, this is commendable.

[00:07:02]This is commendable. There is one issue, honorable, there is one issue. There were allegations that also one of the issues with regards the government of Zambia refusing this health package was because uh the offer included preferential access to critical minerals of our country by uh American companies. How true is that issue? Similarly, the proposed critical minerals agreement and associated framework must reflect the will and aspirations of the people of Zambia and as such need to be diligently and carefully considered contrary to the outgoing ambassadors allegations of inertia on the part of the government of the Republic of Zambia. Key among the reasons for Zambia's reluctance to accept the terms of the proposed agreement is the insistence on preferential treatment of US companies over Zambia's critical minerals. Rather, the Zambian government rightfully takes the view first and foremost that Zambians must have a say on how her critical minerals are used and second that no one strategic partner is to be treated preferentially to others.

[00:08:22]Ah I don't know how you are feeling but if you're feeling what I'm feeling h then looks like we are in safe hands. Yeah, it looks like we are in safe hands. If the government is able to say no, we cannot give you special access to our minerals than anyone else. It's we believe in one Zambia, one nation. Yeah.

[00:08:44]One diplomat or one people. Yeah. All diplomats are equal here. There's no one who is more special than the other. In Zambia, we believe in equal share, equal existence, equal everything. So to hear that the government actually says no the minerals of the people of Zambia, it is the people of Zambia to determine or to decide whether or not they can give you not you to tell us that we should wherever the the government got the balls to to to to justice.

[00:09:16]I know we are in safe hands on that one.

[00:09:19]If that is the stance here that you take everywhere, no, we are in safe hands and we pray that God will continue sustaining your lives and continue representing and presenting the interest of the people of Zambia in any conversations that you have with any other country.

[00:09:38]Now there is one issue that the uh now minister there's one more issue that the ambassador raised the issue of corruption and that as a government you have not taken any stand to to to arrest or convict people that have been involved in you know abuse of these resources uh given by the American people to help in the health sector. How true are those allegations?

[00:10:08]>> During this administration's tenure, policy and legislative changes have been made in order to bolster the fight against corruption with asset recovery at an all-time high. Recently, >> 30 million United States of American dollars has been recovered and forfeited to the state, for example. Further, in relation to the health commodity theft issue, while the out outgoing ambassador insists on misleading the world that no tangible arrests have been made in over a year, the truth is that 156 arrests have been made across the country to date resulting in 76 convictions.

[00:10:44]>> Uh I I think I think that is where there there's a problem. Yeah, I think that is where there's a problem. Honorable um issues to do with corruption, you know, are very serious and sensitive issues and uh we we appreciate the efforts that the government is making to make sure that corruption is for TVA to the fullest.

[00:11:02]But if we're going to talk about arrests and convictions of people that have been involved in corruption cases regarding especially the ones that the ambassador raised, we need to be very specific and highlight to the nation that the people that got arrested out of the 100 and 70 that were convicted. We need to be specific so many were arrested regarding the issue of containers. For example, containers, we need to be specific because these are issues that are in public domain. Okay?

[00:11:37]And they are issues that people have raised concerns about. So we need to be very specific.

[00:11:52]exposed and the people involved must be exposed. I think the issue that is there now is that uh amongst the people that have been convicted as he indicated in your statement honorable we don't know from that number how many have been arrested regarding the abuse of resources in the health sector and which specific cases are these in the health remember there are issues that are in the public domain of you know medical supplies and and so on and so forth so we need to know Ministry of Health from the pharmacy. So we need to have details so these people are exposed because it is corruption that we are talking about and as long as people are not aware that people have been arrested you're just saying such a number has been arrested without giving details people just maybe just trying to cover up. So we need to know maybe we also need to take interest as the media and as journalist to to dig deeper but coming from uh you as the foreign affairs minister also responding to a statement given by the ambassador to America. I think you needed to be very specific and giving context in which these arrests have been made. We appreciate what the recovery of assets and money has has done so far but the public has not known who has been arrested and for what charges and so on and so forth. So maybe just maybe since there are these allegations by our funders sometimes it is important to just mention that oh regarding this statement the ones that have been arrested are so so and so so on allegations of maybe getting medicine meant to be taken to Chawama clinic but they took it in their maybe something like I'm just thinking aloud because these are issues of public interest people are interested to know who really has been arrested but so far I'm happy with the fact that you have maintained the stance on protecting the interests of the people of Zambia regarding this issue of access to you know citizens details healthy chan and issues of minerals. I think we have lessons to learn so far. See the offers that are being given now to some extent it shows that maybe we are not doing enough with regards utilizing you know the minerals that we have. We need some value addition when it comes to our minerals.

[00:14:09]I've heard Christopher K said we have the capacity to mine our own minerals, process them into whatever we want them to be and export them as finished goods or finished products. This issue of just taking things in their raw form I think is not helping us and that's why we are receiving these offers of people thinking maybe we don't have the capacity to do so. I think adding to the stance that government has taken to protect our minerals and our data as citizens regarding the minerals. I suggest that we take a deliberate policy to make sure that our minerals do not leave the country in their raw form.

[00:14:46]They should be processed here. If possible, let's make some goods, some ornaments, some everything. So as we take these things out, they are in their finished form. That is the suggestion that I can give. Otherwise, so far I'm impressed. Personally, I'm impressed by the response given by the minister.

[00:15:02]Let's just attend to those small small issues that we have raised. Otherwise, that was what we had for you on Kendumbo