By Kalima Nkonde
There is no doubt that the number one problem that Zambia faces is unemployment with its offshoots of poverty, crime, prostitution and other social ills. I am a firm believer that Government should not be the main focus for job creation as it does not generate revenue and pay tax but rather relies on taxes from private sector to operate. The PF administration, however, has fallaciously believed that Government can be the main source of jobs as demonstrated by its big government policy of creating a myriad of districts, embarking on fast tracking some infrastructure projects that have no immediate economic value, the creation of a bloated government with one of the biggest cabinets in the world ( bigger than UK, USA, South Africa and Nigeria which are bigger economies).
Zambia has an overpaid civil service which consumes 50% of the Government budget and one of the highest per diem rate for foreign travel which is as big as $500 per day for some senior staff and is higher than most developed countries thus encouraging foreign travel and creating a per diem industry within Government.With the latest ill timed lifting of the wage freeze, the civil service wage bill will soon balloon to 55% or 60% of total Government expenditure and mark my words, sooner or later civil servants wages will either be delayed, or not paid in time as they may be no revenue to meet the wage bill!
In regard to job creation, which is the essence of this analysis, I would like to suggest, as a non partisan and patriotic Zambian, who has run businesses in a foreign country, read about how economies can create jobs, I would like to suggest some simple, practical and short term policy measures that the Government can put in place immediately in order to generate sustainable quality jobs from the private sector.
Mining as a source of indirect jobs
The Government has recently given in to the mining houses’ demand for revising the royalty tax regime to suit their interests and one wonders what we got in return for reducing the tax from 20% to 9%. In my view, as part of the negotiations, we should have given the mines, some non tax conditions before agreeing to the reductions so that we have a give and take and win -win situation. This strategy could have an impact on employment creation and thereby enabled us to recover some losses the revision. The following is how the mines could be made to empower Zambians and create employment indirectly:
- They should be required to purchase the majority of their requirements apart from heavy equipment from Zambian suppliers. At the moment, the mines are exporting our copper and exporting jobs too. There are exporting jobs by purchasing most of the requirements from abroad especially South Africa. This should not be allowed when they have been arm twisting Government about reducing taxes reversing policies.
- The Government should tell the mines and ask their suppliers abroad to set up shop in Zambia and partner with Zambians so that industries that are dependent on the mines can flourish and create jobs in Zambia and not abroad. One can ask how many companies have been set up in Solwezi and Kalumbila to support the mines? This is a great anomaly and Government policy should ensure foreign companies with technology and know how and currently supplying the mines are made to set up shop as joint venture with Zambians in all mining towns. Mining towns will boom and this is not rocket science to implement. I suggest that the Government should take stock and find how many companies supplying mines are domiciled in mining towns! They should challenge the mining houses to ensure this anomaly is corrected!
Improve compliance to 20% reservation on infrastructure projects
At the moment, the Government has a policy of ensuring that foreign contractors should subcontract 20% of their works to Zambians as an empowerment policy. Government should give consideration to increase this percentage to 25% . There should, however, be strict monitoring to compliance to this requirement and heavy penalties for non compliance imposed. Zambians especially party cadres who get jobs when they have no capacity and then “ sell” them to foreigners should be made to account and punished. The President has appointed Lucky Mulusa as the Project implementation and Monitoring assistant who I can call the Projects implementation Czar to borrow from the term from Obama administration’s expert appointees during the 2008 financial crisis. His department’s role should include the job creation impact of the infrastructure projects as well as the skills transfer from the foreigners to locals.
The department should also ensure that foreign contractors do not employ foreigners for jobs that can be done by Zambians! The major problem the reservation policy and many more positive policies meant to create jobs is the lack of monitoring and ensuring the parties involved are complying. The problem is that nobody checks when the parties are complying! Funds should be invested in ensuring that foreign investors are complying to the undertakings they took in their bids and when signing of contracts. The employment of expert Zambians for the monitoring aspects, is money worth spending money on as it will have a direct impact of acting as a deterrent to foreign companies not taking the country for a ride.
Government domestic borrowing as killer Jobs
The massive domestic borrowing by Government is actually killing jobs in Zambia. The Government is crowding out the private sector in the money market as financial institutions are lending more to Government which is considered to be risk free in financial theory rather than the private sector. Why should banks lend businesses and take on more risk when they can lend to the Government risk free! The private sector especially the SMMEs are unable to access finance as the Government is gobbling the bulk of the financial cake. In cases where the private sector succeeds to borrow it is at very high interest rates. This is not rocket science but basic common sense economics which appears alien to our economic managers. The consequences of the lack of loan capital for private business because of excessive Government domestic borrowing is that the businesses cannot expand or grow and new businesses cannot be set up. It is the private sector that is a source of jobs and who pay taxes and not government! The short of it is that excessive domestic borrowing by Government is one of the causes of unemployment in Zambia and this is a reality and not theory! President Lungu has to address this and ask the technocrats to be frank with him especially those who have been in the real business world and not text book economists.
Lower interest rates
The cost of borrowing in Zambia is astronomical and the Bank of Zambia is partly to blame because commercial banks have gotten away with murder as they are able to earn proportionately more from Bank charges than from interest on loans compared to others in countries. Bank of Zambia as the regulator is partly to blame! Banks in Zambia are exploiting customers and something needs to be done about this. The writer has maintained accounts with Natwest Minster bank Plc in England, Stanbic bank in Botswana and Standard bank in South Africa and Stanbic Zambia and discovered that Zambia has the highest bank charges which are not justifiable at all! There is no incentive for banks to lend especially to SMMEs when they can make easy money through bank Charges. The Bank of Zambia has a major role to play through its monetary policy instruments to lower interest rates so that it will be cheaper for businesses to borrow for investments and expansion. Businesses will inevitably employ more people!
Promotion of non traditional exports to African Countries
In Zambia, export promotion is not as pronounced as it should be and massive jobs can be created by exploiting the export market! We should ask the Chinese, Japanese, Americans, South Africans and Zimbabwe in 1980s and 1990s before the self imposed economic melt down. My view is that for short term employment creation, we need to be smart and put in policies which have immediate impact on our unemployment rather than engage in theoretical and textbook analysis and measures for employment creatiion . For as start, we have neighbours who are big markets for our food and agriculture products and are swimming in billions of dollars and we have no deliberate and aggressive efforts by Government to exploit such opportunities by engaging them. I have in mind Angola and democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC). It is so easy to earn billions from them if we have proper strategies to exploit these markets. We can sell agriculture products to them and earn easy money. Our agricultural products like maize, wheat, our beef, soya beans, beef, fish etc can find a market there but we are not making efforts to exploit these ready markets. By taking steps to exploit these markets, hundreds of thousands of jobs can be created! We are just not strategic, imaginative and committed . We are too obsessive with politics and the next election.
Nigeria is another big market to exploit and thanks to the initiative by Zambeef and CEC who have entered that massive market and more companies should be helped by Government and be encouraged to export to Nigeria. We should forget about South Africa as an export market and focus on African countries because that country’s white interests are entrenched and they have so many barriers to entry. Another issue related to the exploiting the export market of our Southern African neighbours is that we have not benefited economically from the liberation struggle and we should engage in aggressive economic diplomacy with countries like Namibia, Angola, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique and sign bi lateral agreements for the most favoured nation status with them so that our goods and services can be exported there in preference to other countries and not subject them to rigorous tariff and non tariff barriers!
We helped and paid dearly for these countries in the late 1960s, 1970s and the 1980s when we were rich with our copper and when one could buy goods with kwacha in London, Rome, Nairobi etc. Our children and grand children do not know about this especially with the poor reading culture we have. We have not benefited anything from our investment in liberation struggle as well in helping countries like Botswana when they were “poor”, as our political leaders have been naïve and not strategic and just concentrated on politicking!
All we should be asking for from our neighbours who we helped, when we were rich is to merely buy our goods on favourable terms instead of buying from countries who never helped them! ! This will create a market for our non traditional exports products in which we have a competitive advantage with our neighbours and beyond. Exporting to these countries will create thousands of jobs, earn foreign exchange, stabilize the ailing kwacha and diversify the economy from mining! One just hopes that our politicians will find sense in this suggestion. I am proposing and take immediate action.
Foreign Investors,Mines and RSA Chains as Exporters of Jobs from Zambia
We should not import products that can be produced in Zambia such as tomatoes, onions, beans from South Africa. Strict restriction of imports that we can produce and technically referred to as import substitution is a must for job creation. When we import what we can produce from South Africa for example, the South African farmers will produce more and employ more South Africans and our farmers will lay off their workers. In addition, we will need to externalize dollars to the South Africans and so our kwacha will lose value and it will cost more to buy goods in Zambia which are mostly imported. This is not rocket science! We just wonder how our politicians have allowed a situation where Zambian imports even tooth picks are imported. Patriotic Front, as the ruling party, please live up to your name and ensure we only import stuff that we cannot import! Please do not facilitate export of jobs! This is a lesson that I will openly say Presednt Lungu can learn from Mugabe! Protect your local industry! All countries, including Chinese, USA, UK do that!
Zambia is just to open! Our trade deficit according to the latest central statistics is K300million plus for last month! Our market has just been too open for unnecessary imports and people wonder why the kwacha is under so much pressure! It is gratifying that Government has recognized this as evidence by President Lungu’s instruction to super markets to buy more Zambian products when he opened the Mukuba Mall in Kitwe. Commerce Minister, Mrs Mwanakatwe also followed up by inspecting some Supermarket chains in Lusaka and noted that they needed to stock more Zambian products. MMD sold our soul as far as foreign interests were concerned! We need to correct this and we should not be ashamed as other smart countries do the same! Minister Yaluma recently made a decision to award Zambian transporters to participate in the oil market which has been predominantly foreign denominated. These are welcome initiatives by Government and they should be commended..
Graduate internship programmes
There is a administration measure that the Government can try by absorbing graduates in Government institutions and private sector companies for a period of two years for them to gain experience and be marketable. The graduates should be paid less than the market value remuneration as they are being given experience and effectively still undergoing training. This will address the issue of graduates being rejected by the market place due to lack of experience. Private sector companies should be encouraged to enter the programme and given tax and other incentives to employ college and university graduates.
Learn from neighbours – South Africa and Botswana about employment creation policies.
In South Africa, they have a Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment policy (BBBE) which requires big cooperates to ensure compliance with empowering the previously disadvantage community through employment, skills transfer, procurement, equity participation and partnership. In Botswana they have policies that ensure that activities such as butcheries, bottle stores, brick making etc are not for foreigners through their Reservation policy. The Botswana have also made a name by ensuring that De beers had to bend and agree to have diamonds traded in Gaborone and not London and thus creating jobs! Zambian copper is traded in some dubious markets and the foreign exchange never comes home!
For readers’ information, the Citizen Economic empowerment Commission CEEC) did not just drop from heaven nor was it a local initiative. It is a copy cat initiative suggested by Zambians residents- including the writer – in Botswana who recommended it to President Mwanawasa during his visit to Botswana. President Mwanawasa, intellectual and patriotic as he was, saw sense in it and considered it worth replicating. He saw it as a successful SMMEs financing model which Zambia could emulate. The Botswana’s Citizen Economic Empowerment Agency (CEDA) was therefore copied to be implemented in Zambia to help SMMEs development as traditional banks were not interested in helping SMMES thus the CEEC.
Labour intensive small scale farming ( irrigation farming) and Domestic tourism promotion potential
There is so much potential to promote small scale farming and the promotion of domestic tourism which can create more jobs in rural areas and these have not been exploited yet but I have not addressed them in this analysis and I will deal with them in the future.
I have attempted to suggest some simple, practical but effective job creation measures that I believe are well known to the Government, the technocrats and other experts but which I believe have not been vigorous been implemented as there is a fallacious belief that jobs can only created by some complex ,text book measures and through foreign direct investment (FDI)! I believe I have an informed, practical and layman’s angle which the man on the street can relate to by reading this article. Creating jobs is not rocket science. It just needs vision, political will ,implementing and monitoring policy pronouncements,and understanding the key drivers of job creation! I hope I have contributed in a small way to our leaders to think outside the box and I also hope that they learn to tap brains from Zambians with my three Es – Educated, Experienced and Exposed rather than a adopt a know it all attitude.
The writer is a retired financial and management consultant and a Chartered Accountant by profession, currently back home, who lived in the diaspora in England, South Africa and Botswana for over 25 years. He was one of the key persons in the USAID sponsored $30 million project in Botswana called “the Botswana Private Enterprise Development Project ( BPED)” in the early 1990s which was housed by Botswana Confederation of Commerce and Industry and Manpower( BOCCIM ).The Project transformed the Botswana’s economy and improved the working relationship between the Government and the Private sector in terms of policy dialogue which has made the Botswana economy the envy of Africa.
This is One of the best articles I’ve read so far . We need such minds rather than criticising without offering solutions to the problems the country is facing . God bless you sir .
Mr.Kalima Nkonde, what you have written make so much sense. Your brief biography also explains you very wide horizon. Unfortunately, we are dealing with a visionless leadership. There are a lot of simple interventions we could learn from Botswana and SA if only we had political will. President Lungu has repeatedly told us, he has no vision and yet 48% of the population voted for him. What does that tell you of our electorate?
Obatala
You are spoiling the article by going astray in the political realm. Meditate on this article and be a solution. Why are you trying to diffuse the importance of this article by your carelessness and lack of appreciation of the importance of job creation in this country. Learn to move towards progress and not rhetoric every day of who has a vision or not.
@ Miya, it is people like you that transient, simplistic and have no understanding on why we a country so endowed with natural resources are so power. Your poverty of thought is highly disturbing. If you dine and wine with visionless people, the wine will run dry some day and President Lungu, unfortunately with help from people like you is leading us to the dry land
This is an oversimplistic outlook on what is wrong with the Zambian economy from a so called expert. Ba Nkonde what you are suggesting with regards to the mining industry that the govt should do is exactly what other govts such as our other neighbour Congo DRC is doing, they have a cap on expatriates, do not allow foreign firms to supply to the mines and have several conditions in place that suppossedly are meant to benefit the people of Congo. Guess what bakamba those caps and conditions don’t work, why because this is Africa and corruption and mismangement is part of our DNA (even yours ba Nkonde). So what I’m saying is yes hats off to your idealism but on a practical level the approach by the PF is the right one as you can not count on the private sector alone as Chiluba did.
I agree , great piece of writing. I actually didn’t think about making suppliers who supply goods to our industries set up shop in Zambia. It certainly would help in some way. We have just had a largest trade deficit ..meaning we imported a lot of things and this shows there is is indeed a viable market for these companies where mining and supermarkets get their supplies from abroad
Good article which will be put in the dust bin by those who have power to implement these simple policies. for me and my family, we are self reliant. we dont rely on decisions made by katondo boys from copper stone university.
The good thing about this peace is that it makes so much sense but is beyond the comprehension of Sunday Chanda or Brian Hapunda and most PF guys in government.
Yes good article and lets implement it. Lets take it upon ourselves to ensure that it reaches the President and lets convince the Govt to look at it seriously. Civil Society Orgs you can do this, don’t just talk about the Constitution, we have one and we RE JUST PERFECTING IT
First time someone has written an article that is helpful to the country. I just have one issue, that is to make the mine purchase equipment etc. from Zambians. This on paper sounds ok, but in practice it cannot work. Zambians themselves have blacklisted themselves by cheating mining houses with the buyers. They cheat. All these mansions mushrooming on the CB are not from honest gains but from defrauding the mines. As a result these companies more comfortable to buy goods direct from RSA or China as the case may be. Anyone who denies this is either a beneficiary or is not connected with the mines. However it would be a great benefit if the government took heed of most of the points raised by the author.
WHAT IS CONSTRUCTION AND HOW CAN IT BE SUSTAINED?
WHAT PROMOTES CONSTRUCTION? HOW CAN CONSTRUCTION
CONTINUE TO CREATE EMPLOYMENT IN ZAMBIA?
CAN BORROWED MONEY BE THE BASIS FOR CONSTRUCTION
PROJECTS IN ZAMBIA?
THESE ARE SIMPLE QUESTIONS AND IF ADDRESSED PROPERLY
THEY CAN BE A GOOD GUIDE TO FUTURE PLANS.
Kalima Nkonde, you have said it all. I cant believe that we have such great minds in Zambia that are not being utilized. I would cast my vote for men like Kalima Nkonde any given day. I cant even try and add anything to this article but just copy ans paste if I were one of these politicians.
This article is priceless. I pray that our politicians are taking notes and that they will implement these suggestions. Does our current Government have the capacity to even understand this article? Judge for yourselves.
Thank you very much for the article. I believe that engaging people with experience, exposure and education to improve social economic activities and economy of the country at large is one of the most powerful approach to enhance growth and sustainability to much wanted economic activities. How ever, find that people with exposure and experience from diaspora are often sidelined when proposals of insightful projects are advised such are this outlined by the retired writer.
I would really like to contribute effectively to my profession in Radiography but the obstacles we come across discourages one to go ahead.
There is no need to go and seek medical attention from other countries when we have one of the most beautiful medical institution in Zambia if we can fully equip it with
If you can understand it what makes you think others cannot understand it? You are using a wrong name.
Zambia could have been a prosperous country if we had a good MPs with your kind of brains but not the MPs whose job is to go to the airport to seek Chagwa off and back. Hope the new GRZ in 2016 will act on what you have written since Chagwa does not have vision to see Zambia go forward.
Great Article though would have been more helpful if it was back up with more figures…the biggest problem we have in Zambia is our leaders they are a hindrance to development…. we have greatly empowered them instead of empowering govt and quasi govt institutions; the order of the day; is Presidential directives and ministerial directives eg a minister can wake up one morning and ban importation of cooking oil without first dealing with the issues that make that selfsame foreign edible oil more attractive to the local consumer and benkmarking it with local manufacturer.
Gay Ugandan King Proves that Homosexuality is African
Ugandan King Mwanga II was widely reported to have engaged in sexual relations with his male subjects, according to the report by NGO Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) “Expanded Criminalisation of Homosexuality in Uganda: A Flawed Narrative”.
Ugandan martyrs were burnt to death between 1885 and 1887 on the orders of Mwanga II, for denying him gay sex when they converted to Christianity.
The SMUG’s report is a response to the anti-gay bill proposal passed in Ugandan parliament in 2009, and is aimed to prove that same sex relationships existed throughout Africa, including the territories that now form Uganda, before the colonisation.
If it is true, then the king was a witch as some witches may practice homosexuality. But homosexuality is not African.
This a very good piece of advice for effective employment creation. My only concern is that many of our politicians will not take it. Some will accuse the writer of being bitter.
‘…..wages delayed AND not paid in time…..’ means one and the same thing……
…a scientist was trying to explain to a group of fishermen on how a ship is able to float on water……..he started talking about buoyance and applying Archimedes principles….
….’weight of ship divide by displacement of water multiply that by exponential then divide by specific gravity of water and then divide by the total mass of the ship……’….’you see, very simple…..’ he said
to the amazement of the fishermen……
….what I’m trying to say is…what may be SIMPLE to you may be totally ‘Greek’ to others…..
….the article is good but does not bring out anything new/fresh…..
..govt is aware of the above ideas but have no idea how to implement the same ideas….
Exactly my thoughts. But I don’t agree with government not knowing how to implement it. On paper things look simple but in practice it is different. From KK to present time these ideas have been floated by different intellectuals but to little or no avail. Why? We are part of the problem. The President isn’t omnipresent. He depends on us to do our part. Those of you who have been privileged to live in the West will agree that the citizens there are very responsible. Simple things in Zambia such as throwing litter from moving vehicles are as complicated as understanding how a cell phone works. I tried to advise a fellow passenger against through a plastic bottle from the bus only to be told that if I am educated I should be using my own car. The quarrel went on from Chibombo up to Kitwe.
In the West people regulate themselves in such matters. Even drinking hours here are a problem- Sata tried to regulate the hours so that people can first do some work in the morning and drink in the afternoon; there was a revolt. In some part of the USA( I stayed there) no alcohol is served on Sundays and people respect that law. PSs etc are busy enriching themselves so how can we progress?
This is a great article. Mr Nkonde has made his contribution, what about you & me. While its govt’s job to facilitate, its our job as a citizenry to demand & push govt to do what we want. When we sit back, they also sit back. Mind you politicians come from amongst ourselves. So please instead of being their cheerleaders let’s start demanding for delivery from our no.1 servants.
This is a great article. Mr Nkonde has made his contribution, what about you & me. While its govt’s job to facilitate, its our job as a citizenry to demand & push govt to do what we want. When we sit back, they also sit back. Mind you politicians come from amongst ourselves. So please instead of being their cheerleaders let’s start demanding for delivery from our no.1 servants.
Let’s shade this attitude where our only participation in our own governance is at election time. This breeds crooks & lazy bums into politics.
Educated, experienced and exposed! This article shows soberness and true patriotism. Once elections are over the blame game should be over so that we focus on national development. Democracy is about elections; elections have losers, so don’t nurse your wounds forever.
This is what we should be reading. We will all benefit if the PF followed this advice. Should another party win future elections such advice must be supported.
I’ll do my part I’ll print and give to one who talks to President Lungu directly so that he can go and talk to the President about this free piece advice. Its the least I can do. I think even Finance Minister can be given if anybody can, whoever you can plz pass on and lets demand that it be as quickly as possible so that we can start seeing rerults after all we are in a harry to develop
Mr KK what you v written is good and makes lot of sense. to tell you the facts and truth its just just that you have been away, ALL that you written have been written before by scholars from UNZA , CBU and organisations which Yusuf Dudia represents, including Chambers of commerce, associations of SMEs. am not saying you should not have , all am saying its a trigger to the would be authorities to take up these recommendations. you are actually remphasising what most professionals have been lamenting and telling the Govts from 1990 to date, thanks Mr KK
How do you force a company to procure goods withing Zambia.Policy is just on paper and should be accompanied with local capacity ofr such to be implementable.I like organic shift of status quo instead of use of arm twist through policy adjustments.We are in a free market enviroment.This man leaved in the past regimented era of doing things.Has he been able to monitor and evaluate the projects he has participated in thses countries he has worked? Give us some breath!!!!
Didn’t Botwsana force them to polish and cut diamonds in Botswana, I believe it can be done
Kalima Banana, send the same document to Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Commerce. Send to Ministers cc to PS. You can even request for a meeting with PSs. But please do not accept the job
Good article though, demographically, we can’t be comparing a country of 2 million people (less than a million in the 1990s) and another one with 14.5 million people, which point has implications on job creation or provision. Second point, while you are boasting of being involved in a US $30 million dollar project, seriously we should be talking about the usage of the US $ 1 billion Eurobond that the Zambian Government issue last year. Feeding a family of 7 is more difficult than taking care a family of two.
Botswana’s success story has nothing to do with their diamonds or small population. Even if Zambia had Saudi Arabia’s oil, the country would still be poor. The answer lies in what the author above says: management and proper exploitation of what you have.
The example of feeding 2 being easier than 7 does not hold water here. It is all about managing the resources and prioritizing your needs. As Capitalism is the answer in Africa above said management is one of the key issues being addressed above.
Excellent example, @19.1 and @19.2… Even at household level I know families of 9 with limited resources that fare much better than families of 2 with a lot of resources (I know this because I hail from a large family and we ALL made it through prudent parenting – read management – by our parents). The excuse of population is frivolous and a scapegoat. We need a brave cadre of leaders who will move away from treating tax resources as a party or quasi-personal purse and begin to trust national professional managers for a change. And leaders must resign from their parties when they lose elections too!!!
To add to the Contribution I would raise these points as I note and see the response from contributors
Its important to see the points and ensure the document is panel beaten in a way to ensure completeness
“’The massive domestic borrowing by Government is actually killing jobs in Zambia.”’
There is need to develop the efficiency in Financial Sector so that Capital adequacy is deep, allocating all sectors of economy efficiently even when Gov. has entered the market. The market should be able to regulate itself and allocate resources to most profitable sectors and Gov. interventions is made to support those to develop and eventually the markets crystalize to reflect intrinsic value It will not do to be…
’The cost of borrowing in Zambia is astronomical and the Bank of Zambia is partly to blame’’
Work on the allocation efficiency and ensure that markets allocate to most effective and supported sectors and Gov works either Private and Public to have policies to active and support those You cannot stifle the market decisions and hope to make gains in the long-term It will be artificial and costs will eventually be seen to outweigh the normal Work on Allocation efficiency of those banks and financial depth
“’Promotion of non-traditional exports to African Countries’’
Invest in the Soft and Hard issues of the economy using savings from resources being mined and ensure sustained making them competitive
“’Nigeria is another big market to…
“’Nigeria is another big market to exploit and thanks to the initiative by Zambeef and CEC”’
South Africa an important market to partner and market penetration in Nigeria a long term strategic plan and not simply by one firm but many Zambian as a force supporting in sectors from banking to industrial moving together as it where understand the strategy
“’We should not import products that can be produced in Zambia such as tomatoes, onions”’
Marketing Branding and customer service levels are important to change Customer perception and preference including innovation avoiding same opportunities being created by Zambians in neighboring being countered the same Its about paying attention to products we sell and making them more appealing…
The establishment of new districts is a development strategy that must create wealth for local communities. The argument that districts are draining public resources is short sighted. It is about creating links and stimulating economic activities that produce wealth. Evaluate the project after some years. Wages of public workers must remain within certain parameters for the National Budget to breath. This can only be achieved through meaningful dialogue by stakeholders. Diversification away from mining is needed. Tourism, cash crops, livestock, fisheries, food processing, manufacturing, transportation, oil refinery, assembly plants, etc.
Please napapata can someone deliver this report to ECL and his team. I know not all will be implemented but even a few out of this lot will make a difference. Twanaka nama bad policies which are negatively affecting our economy. Kamotoka kasasa no hope of buying another dot.com from Japan because of the high dollar rate.
There is more for members to add and subtract on the article and complement the Same to make it complete to reflect the scenario Zambia and the Regional Investing Outlooks in regulations Policy and efficiencies in those sectors to work and activate taking a global view as industrial analysis to the local and regional trends to Zambia and factoring in the uniqueness sectorial and see the correct decision making in correlations
Supporting the Regional integration as a key force to develop sub Sahara Africa
Iam very happy that such intelligent brains are there in this country who can offer such detailed, accurate and to the point advise as far as creating employment is concerned.
I will suggest to the govt that let them facilitate the creation of a think tank and the likes of one Kalima Nkonde and other intellectuals who posses such high caliber to advise Govt on various govt programmes but the organisation should be run by the private sector or be a part of ZACCI. This is a very detailed and to the point advise which the Govt should not let go by. Let the Govt swallow their pride and engange such civilised Zambians who are willing to help mother Zambia
Both Private and Public must participate to actualise and realise potential with private taking a higher weighting
There has to be Traditional and alternatives Platforms for both Gov and Private sector to raise capital do financing and consummate with call money rates and leverage that mirrors the excitement in those Sectorial Sectors Invest wisely also and ensure some return to compensate the effort and ensure perpetual succession commitment right even when owner has died in those risk environments Scalp and leave to offload and invest where the Investments is need down south and avoid impairment of those investments in energy
Public and Private need take part in capital and Financial…
As somebody who lives off punching numbers, i expected you to attach figures in terms of the projected number of jobs for each policy measure but alas, it came out the exact way the first year students at unza write assignments in DS101 when asked this employment creation question. As somebody has alluded, alot of the guys in govt know all this stuff but like u rightly put it, its all about per diem and ‘whats in this policy program for me?’. Guys like Dr. Chigunta and Donald Chanda are experts in this stuff and were taken to state house, did anything change? Now, they are both back at unza teaching the same stuff they were supposed to advise their respective presidents on.
Remove the thinking of borrowing as the only means of business start up should or operationalizing except for working capital
There are so many avenues from private placement to equity ,partnerships if only people new how to best network helping to free most of these traditional financing methods at Cairo road
Sometimes you do not need money to trade and make money but right financial engineering and cover for your daily operations or Working Capital Its not that you also become a perpetual bank visitor otherwise you need to reclassify your business That is why the M1 to M4 is there to support in different Markets
Its a case of “rich dad” “poor dad”. Two people working for the same company, getting the same salaries. One creates wealth at home, the other neglects the family, and blames everyone for his reckless drinking and expenditure. One father is Botswana the other is Zambia. Mr Kalima is just saying re-strategise, you are the government, you are the one to make decisions; decide now else poverty will decide for you!!
To crowd funding and angel financing Its about the Financial Initiatives that removes the cost of Financing and reduce the cost of allocation efficiency in Zambia
Stop thinking about short term measures look at the Financial structure fit in the energies you want to ensure you develop traditional Lcs and Money market instruments are good for short-term
Think long-term Financials Structural Fit to support industrial activation commensurate with capacity built then the M1 to M4 or QE when appropriate it fails will help you energise and not business as usual for structurally stiff SMES and Public entities
Its like you graduate individual entrepreneurs in the country Those that passed through the Citizen Economic Empowerment programme and Those through the Private initiative / Sector and Complimenting with Public GRZ efforts creating new supportive products and services in Financial and enabling regulations at the same time adequate capitalisation of Financial services in securities -Fixed, Equity and alternatives to money markets and other innovations creating capacity at the same time in skilling’s appropriately to activate and ensuring market intelligence to read and allocate resources in investments in a well informed manner It calls for rethink and refining of current setup and ensure supported to win
“‘You may not even realize it, but Apple has quietly entered one of the most lucrative industries in the world, worth $3.32 trillion.
What’s amazing is Apple’s latest innovation could add an additional $11 trillion to this market.
Let me put that in perspective…
Over the past decade, Apple has generated $765 billion in revenue. By tapping into this new $11 trillion market over the next decade, Apple could generate more revenue than the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad combined… and it could help send shares of a handful of other companies soaring.
In fact, the first phase in this growth story began several months ago. And some of these firms have already seen gains of 105%… 185%… and 203% in the past year.
But that’s just the beginning.””
EM
Thirty years ago I graduated from a German technical college
together with some students from the far east. More than 90%
of my Zambian alumni are still in full time employment while
I can safely say 90% of the Asians went on to set up their own enterprises. Do you know why? The answer is of course is that: “ATTITUDE NOT JUST YOUR APTITUDE DETERMINES YOUR ALTITUDE!”
Great Article! Informative and educational…We need such progressive writings, articles….Criticle though is the aspect of implementation and buy in these simple solutions by all Zambians especially the Politicians, policy makers….What u never mentioned though is how the many great minds of Zambias who she exported in diaspora….shud be enticed to invest back home and contribute to job creation. Big up! Nice Read!
Soccer can be a money spinner but not here in Zambia! It’s a money waster! While clubs spend huge sums by paying player bonuses, buying equipment etc, many of us just want free entry to marches and save our money for a beer after the match. Add to this thefts by ticket sellers and gate keepers. Good article for a perfect world!
In terms of Market capitalisation or private which of these are typical Zambia entrepreneurial led companies What is the business model and methods of Financing support the growth orientation available
Analyse the policies and initiatives in private and public that are available to active these industries and see the lags to lead
Information Technology
Financials
Healthcare
Real Estate
Consumer Discretionary
Other-Social and Sporting
Energy
Consumer Staples
Industrials
Materials
Telecommunications
Utilities