By Staff Reporter
Citizens First (CF) leader Harry Kalaba has urged Zambians to temper their excitement over the recently announced $1.1 billion crude oil refinery project in Ndola, warning that it may be another election-season promise designed to sway voters.
“In the past, this government has promised the moon and not even delivered a star,” Kalaba said, referencing the UPND’s track record on infrastructure and economic pledges. “Let’s wait until the bulldozers roll before we celebrate.”
The refinery, backed by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Fujian Xiang Xin Corporation, and the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA), is expected to process 60,000 barrels of crude oil per day and generate thousands of jobs.
But Kalaba remains skeptical, citing the Lobito oil project in Angola as a more credible example of regional energy development. He said Angola’s Lobito Refinery, slated for completion in 2025, will process 200,000 barrels per day and is already transforming Angola’s downstream sector.
Kalaba warned that with elections just a year away, Zambians should brace for a flood of promises such as cheap mealie meal, new bridges, and roads—that may never materialise.
“This is textbook hoodwinking,” he said. “The poverty-stricken and skeptical masses deserve more than slogans.”
Kalaba said he would prioritise reviving Indeni as a fully-fledged refinery, equipped with a hydrocarbon cracker to process crude oil locally and stabilize fuel prices. He also said he envisioned strategic fuel reserves to shield Zambia from global price shocks, and regional partnerships to build a sustainable energy corridor through Kapiri Mposhi.
“Kapiri is strategically located. We can make it a hub for oil refining and logistics,” Kalaba said recently at a CF rally.
