A man walk past electoral campaign posters and a banner of the incumbent Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema promoting the Constituency Development Fund in Lusaka, on August 9, 2026. Photo: AFP
Copper-rich Zambia, once a byword for sovereign debt distress, heads to the polls Thursday in an election that will test whether President Hakainde Hichilema has convinced voters his economic reforms are paying off.
Hichilema is seeking a second term against a fragmented field of opposition candidates.
From Chinese influence to Victoria Falls, here are five things to know about the southern African nation of 22 million people.
• Copper is king –
