The Fight Inequality Alliance (FIA) Zambia has warned that the Petroleum Development and Management Bill (N.A.B 72 of 2026) will deepen inequality in the country.
National Coordinator Mputa Ngalande urged President Hakainde Hichilema to reject the bill and instead pursue reforms that promote equality.
He cautioned that the legislation would entrench Zambia’s dependence on elites and foreign corporations.
Ngalande explained that corporations can absorb shocks from sudden policy shifts, while local businesses would be destabilised as the bill grants sweeping authority to regulators such as the ERB.
He argued that the financial and technical thresholds set by the bill exclude small and medium enterprises, preventing ordinary Zambians from participating in the petroleum industry.
He said local firms would be forced to bear heavy costs and navigate complex reimbursement systems, creating cash-flow crises that multinationals with global resources can easily withstand.
He stressed that the bill concentrates economic power in the hands of a few corporations, sidelining ordinary citizens.
Ngalande noted that although the government presents the bill as modernisation, it fails to guarantee local content despite existing laws.