Economic growth changes what we eat, how we move, how we work. Now Zambia must learn how not to get sick from growth. A few months ago, I found myself thinking about something I had never really questioned before. Every country dreams of economic growth. We celebrate new investment, stronger exports, better infrastructure and rising incomes because they represent opportunity. Yet I began to wonder whether growth also comes with a health price tag that we rarely discuss until it is too late.
Zambia has every reason to be optimistic. Our mining sector is expanding, the Lobito Corridor is attracting international attention, our Kwacha was the best performing currency in Africa in June 2026, copper production is expected to increase significantly over the coming years, and confidence in the economy has strengthened. There is a growing sense that Zambia is finally beginning to receive the recognition many of us have long believed it deserved. And that is something worth celebrating.
But if we only measure growth by GDP, exports or foreign investment, we risk overlooking another trend that quietly follows prosperity almost everywhere it goes.
History suggests that as countries become wealthier, they do not simply earn more. They begin to eat differently, work differently and move differently. Public health researchers have a name for this phenomenon. They call it the nutrition transition. As incomes rise and urbanisation accelerates, traditional diets gradually give way to processed foods, sugary drinks, convenience meals and larger portions. Physical jobs are replaced by desk jobs. Walking is replaced by driving. Time becomes scarcer, convenience becomes more valuable, and health slowly becomes something we intend to prioritise tomorrow. Western countries have already lived through this transition.
Over several decades they watched obesity rates climb, diabetes diagnoses increase, cardiovascular disease become commonplace and healthcare systems struggle with an overwhelming burden of non-communicable diseases. Only after experiencing those consequences did prevention become a serious conversation. Today we hear constant messages about healthy eating, workplace wellbeing, active travel, strength training and preventive medicine because those countries have already paid the cost of ignoring them.
Africa may not have that luxury.
Unlike Europe or North America, where these changes unfolded gradually over generations, many African countries are experiencing economic, technological and lifestyle change all at once. Smartphones, food delivery apps, global fast-food brands, sedentary office jobs and social media are arriving alongside rising incomes. The transition is happening faster than our health systems were designed to accommodate.
In many ways, Zambia still thinks about health through the lens of the diseases that shaped previous generations. Infectious diseases remain a genuine priority, and rightly so. They continue to affect thousands of families every year. However, another health challenge is quietly growing alongside them.
Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and certain cancers are becoming increasingly common, yet they often receive far less attention until someone becomes seriously ill. That matters because these diseases rarely appear overnight. They develop slowly through thousands of ordinary decisions. What we eat during busy workdays. How many hours we spend sitting. Whether our children grow up playing outside or scrolling indoors. Whether success becomes associated with convenience rather than wellbeing.
For many families, buying branded soft drinks or takeaway meals still represents progress. There is nothing inherently wrong with enjoying those things. The concern is when aspiration becomes inseparable from consumption. When prosperity starts to look like eating more processed food instead of better food. When long working hours become a badge of honour while sleep, exercise and home-cooked meals become signs that someone has too much free time.
Ironically, many Western consumers are now moving in the opposite direction. Farmers’ markets are fashionable. Walking meetings are encouraged. Companies invest in employee wellbeing because they have realised poor health reduces productivity. Supermarkets proudly advertise minimally processed foods. Fitness has become part of professional identity rather than something reserved for athletes.
Meanwhile, many emerging economies are only beginning to embrace the very lifestyle patterns that wealthier nations are now trying to reverse. We should not copy every stage of that journey simply because it appears modern. This is not an argument against economic development. Quite the opposite. A stronger economy gives families better housing, improved education, greater food security and longer life expectancy. Economic growth saves lives. The challenge is ensuring it does not unintentionally shorten them too.
Imagine if workplace wellness became part of economic policy rather than an employee benefit. Imagine if urban planning encouraged walking before traffic congestion made it impossible. Imagine if schools protected physical education before children became more sedentary. Imagine if healthy traditional foods remained symbols of pride instead of being replaced by convenience foods marketed as signs of success.
Perhaps prevention should grow alongside prosperity rather than arrive twenty years later. That would require a different definition of progress. Instead of asking only whether the economy is growing, we should also ask whether our people are thriving. Are we building a workforce that can remain healthy into retirement? Are our children inheriting longer lives or simply busier ones? Will our hospitals spend the next generation treating preventable illness, or will we invest earlier in preventing it altogether?
Economic success and public health should never be competing priorities. If anything, they are partners. Because the strongest economy is not simply the one that produces more copper, attracts more investors or builds more roads. It is the one that enables its people to enjoy those achievements in good health for decades to come.
As Zambia continues to grow, perhaps the next measure of our success should not only be how wealthy we become, but how well we remain while getting there.
Kaajal Vaghela is a cultural wellness advisor with over three decades of lived experience managing Type 1 diabetes in Zambia and the diaspora. Having previously served as Chairperson of the Lusaka branch of the Diabetes Association of Zambia, she remains a passionate advocate for breaking down myths and building awareness about diabetes. For more personalised coaching or corporate wellness workshops, visit: www.kaajalvaghela.com and for any feedback: [email protected])
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