The 90-day tax holiday is a temporary sedative for an economy in agony. If we want a cure, we must stop looking toward the Persian Gulf and start building our own sovereignty.

A war predicated on oil is hardly a novelty on the global chessboard. We have known the Middle East was a volatile powder keg since the 1970s oil crisis. Yet, here we are in 2026, still inexplicably sensitive to shocks occurring thousands of miles from our markets.

The recent fuel shortage that has gripped Zambia is not a consequence of global forces beyond our control. It is a testament to decades of policy failures, mismanagement, and a stubborn refusal to invest in energy independence.