Hichilema Named Among World’s Top Leaders as Zambia’s Economic Turnaround Gains Global Recognition

Lusaka

President Hakainde Hichilema has been named among the world’s best-performing leaders of 2025 by The Telegraph, a recognition that underscores Zambia’s rapid economic recovery after years of crisis marked by debt distress, pandemic shocks and climate-related disruptions.

The accolade comes just days before the close of the year, capping a period in which Zambia has re-established macroeconomic stability and restored investor confidence under Hichilema’s leadership. When he assumed office in 2021, the country was grappling with the aftershocks of COVID-19, a heavy debt burden and the fallout from Zambia’s 2020 default the first by an African nation during the pandemic.

Compounding those challenges, El Niño-induced droughts disrupted agriculture and hydropower generation, straining growth prospects and public finances. Yet Hichilema’s administration pushed through a comprehensive debt restructuring, easing repayment pressures and creating fiscal space for recovery.

Zambia’s economy is now projected to expand by 5.8% in 2025, with the mining sector expected to reach record levels of production and revenue, reflecting renewed capital inflows and improved policy certainty. The turnaround has repositioned the country as one of Southern Africa’s faster-growing economies.

In naming Hichilema among its World Leaders of 2025, The Telegraph’s judges praised his government for transforming an economy once derided as a “basket case” into what they described as a model of fiscal discipline and reform. They cited strengthened institutions, prudent financial management and a restoration of credibility with international investors.

Analysts also point to Hichilema’s balancing act between domestic economic management and external diplomacy, maintaining constructive relations with global partners while advancing Zambia’s national interests.

Hichilema joins a list that includes U.S. President Donald Trump, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, placing Zambia’s leader among a select group credited with shaping global political and economic outcomes in 2025.

For Zambia, the recognition signals more than personal acclaim; it marks a broader re-entry onto the global economic stage after years of uncertainty, with reforms now translating into growth, stability and renewed confidence.