HH Appoints Four Key Ministers as New Cabinet Takes Shape

President Hakainde Hichilema has appointed four key ministers as he begins assembling the team that will drive his second-term agenda.

The President has retained Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane as Minister of Finance and National Planning, while Mulambo Haimbe returns as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Hichilema has also brought two technocrats into key portfolios, appointing Professor Roma Chilengi as Minister of Health and Dr Gilbert Siame as Minister of Green Economy and Environment.

Musokotwane’s retention provides continuity at Finance following his central role in Zambia’s debt restructuring and economic reform programme during Hichilema’s first term.

Haimbe, who previously served as Justice Minister before moving to Foreign Affairs in 2024, also returns to a familiar portfolio after being nominated back to Parliament by the President.

The two new faces are particularly notable.

Chilengi is a physician, epidemiologist and public-health specialist who previously headed the Zambia National Public Health Institute, while Siame is an academic and urban-planning specialist whose work has focused on climate resilience, sustainable development and urbanisation.

The first four appointments suggest Hichilema is combining continuity in key economic and diplomatic portfolios with technical expertise in health and environmental policy.

Attention now turns to the remaining Cabinet positions, including the crucial ministries of Energy, Agriculture, Mines and Education, as Zambians wait to see the full team that will lead the country over the next five years.