President Hakainde Hichilema has brushed aside online claims that he fell ill during his trip to the United Arab Emirates, telling journalists on his return that he spent the visit working, not in hospital.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- “I didn’t go to the hospital, I was working,” President Hichilema said at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport on his return from Abu Dhabi.
- He addressed the claims only in passing, after some social media users said during the trip that he was unwell.
- The working visit ran from 28 to 30 September and included talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and a business forum where US$2.14 billion in memoranda of understanding were signed.
- He also met International Resources Holding, the Abu Dhabi majority owner of Mopani Copper Mines, to press for higher copper output and local content compliance.
- Unverified health claims about a sitting head of state can unsettle investors and the public, which is why a quick, direct answer matters.
A short answer to a loud rumour
Speaking to the media at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka on his return from the United Arab Emirates, President Hichilema dealt with the rumours in a single line. “I didn’t go to the hospital, I was working,” he said.
The President did not dwell on the matter. He addressed it in passing, in response to claims shared by some social media users while he was abroad that he had been taken ill. The rumours had already drawn pushback before he landed, with online outlets reporting that he was well and engaged in meetings in Abu Dhabi.
What the trip was actually about
The visit was the President’s first foreign trip since his re-election in August. He arrived in Abu Dhabi on 28 September for a two-day working programme at the invitation of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
On 29 September the two leaders held talks at the Presidential Palace, and memoranda of understanding worth US$2.14 billion were signed at a Zambia-UAE business forum, covering agriculture, energy, healthcare and the digital economy. Both sides also continued work on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which would lower barriers to trade and investment.
The President also met Ali Rashed Alrashdi, chief executive of International Resources Holding (IRH), which owns 51 per cent of Mopani Copper Mines. He pressed for higher output at Mopani, which he described as central to Zambia’s target of three million tonnes of copper a year, and called for full compliance with the local content law. He closed the visit with a tour of the Zayed National Museum.
Why health rumours carry an economic cost
Rumours about a head of state’s health are not only a political matter. Investors, lenders and trading partners watch for signs of policy continuity, and uncertainty about the person at the top of government can feed into risk perceptions, even briefly. That is particularly true during a trip whose purpose was to attract investment.
In this case the answer was quick and public. The more useful question for Zambians now is not where the President spent his week, but how much of the US$2.14 billion in signed intentions turns into financed projects, jobs and output.
What to watch next
Memoranda of understanding are statements of intent, not binding commitments. The measure of the Abu Dhabi visit will be how many of those agreements reach financial close, progress on the trade agreement, and whether Mopani’s output rises as promised.
Related: Hichilema Takes the Grow Zambia Pitch to Abu Dhabi as UAE Ties Shift From Diplomacy to Deals.
Related: Hichilema Presses Mopani Co-Owner IRH on Copper Output and Local Content in Abu Dhabi.
Related: Hichilema Arrives in Abu Dhabi as Zambia Presses the UAE for Investment and a Trade Deal.
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