TB Response Boost: CIDRZ handed over TB commodities and a refurbished laboratory to Zambia’s Ministry of Health on the Copperbelt, including a refrigerated centrifuge for NHRTI and a renovated TB lab at Kitwe Teaching Hospital, as part of a US-funded package to strengthen diagnosis and treatment. Health System & Policy Focus: President Hakainde Hichilema pledged to scale up investment in education and skills development and the health sector under his renewed mandate, pointing to gains like increased school re-entry and renewed empowerment for women and young people. Regional Unity & Economic Freedom: Kenya’s President William Ruto urged Zambia’s leadership to keep political competition from dividing the nation, stressing that elections should decide who governs—not who belongs—and calling for Africa to move from political to economic freedom. US-Zambia Health System Self-Reliance: US Assistant Secretary Frank Garcia Jr. arrived in Lusaka for talks tied to “trade over aid,” including expanding trade and investment and increasing Zambia’s health system self-reliance. Development With a Health Angle: Transaid launched its 2026 Christmas Appeal to improve road safety and access to essential healthcare across Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia, including training drivers and supporting community transport solutions. Lab Safety Capacity: CIDRZ also ran biosafety and biosecurity risk assessment training to help Zambia’s laboratory workforce manage biological risks as diagnostic capacity grows.