Zambia's Inflation Rate at 6.6%, Lowest in Eight Years

TLDR

• On 13 August, more than eight million registered voters will get the chance to choose a president and a new parliament.
• Hichilema wants five more years after his 2021 landslide win over Lungu on a platform of change.
• Annual inflation has cooled to around 6.6%, its lowest in eight years, and the currency, the kwacha, has strengthened, but for many households the relief remains theoretical.
• When he took office in 2021, Zambia was in debt distress and had been failing to make its payments.
• The unemployment rate as measured by the statistics agency has registered a slight fall from 13% to 11% over the last four years.