President Hakainde Hichilema has described the late former Minister of Finance Alexander Chikwanda as a resilient and focused man who served the nation with perseverance.
Mr. Hichilema said the late Mr Chikwanda, with his many other colleagues, were among the young people at that time who fought for the independence of Zambia and later on worked to improve various sectors such as health, infrastructure and education.
He said this when he visited the late Mr. Chikwanda’s funeral house in State Lodge in Lusaka yesterday.
President Hichilema noted that the late Mr. Chikwanda and others implemented various policies such as the free education policy up to university level, which benefited many Zambians.
He observed that young people must emulate the life of the late Mr. Chikwanda and ensure that they serve the public with all their very best ability at all times.
“He obviously started early as a youth in the struggle for independence and then went on to do many things for the country which many of us benefited from. He occupied key positions during the infancy in the building of our nation. Because of that, we thank him and his other colleagues, some of whom are gone by now,’’ said President Hichilema.
The Head of State added that the late Mr. Chikwanda was known not just inside Zambia but also abroad.
President Hichilema further said he shared a personal relationship with the late Mr. Chikwanda for a long time and served together in the Barclay Bank board.
“I found him there with his friends. He had that commercial economic side which was extremely good but he also had the social side which I knew for a long time,’’ he said.
He has since urged the general citizenry to mourn the late Mr. Chikwanda in a peaceful and respectful way.
‘’We wish the family our sincere condolences on the sad loss of Mr. Chikwanda and obviously he did a lot for this country and because of that we thank him for his work,’’ said Mr. Hichilema.
Mr. Chikwanda, 84, died on Tuesday May 3, 2022 in Lusaka after an illness. He served in various ministerial positions including that of Minister of Finance from 2011 to 2016. He will be put to rest tomorrow at Leopards Hill Memorial Park in Lusaka.
