Commerce Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe says government will formulate policies to favour Zambians so that they fully participate in business.
Mrs. Mwanakatwe says currently there is no specific law that excludes foreigners from owing certain businesses.
She says it is unfortunate that foreigners are now crowding Zambian markets.
Mrs. Mwanakatwe also says her ministry is taking seriously the directive by President Edgar Lungu that Zambian stores must be flooded with Zambians products, especially from the Agriculture sector.
She was responding to a question by Mpongwe MP Gabriel Namulame during the question for oral answer session in parliament.
Mr. Namulambe wanted to know what types of permits are given to foreign nationals who operate and own block making businesses.
All the mwenyeses who cant speak Zambian languages let alone English have Zambian IDs from the corrupt immigration, what you going to do about it ?
how long are we gonna talk about dis, every time we have cried that foreigners are taking our jobs with the blessing of the government and yet no one listen. The next step i see coming is being up in arms with dubious foreigners. we see all sorts of work permits being issued to foreigners from sweepers, drivers, welders when our streets are full of such persons. no body seem to know whats happening. But know that one day things shall change
In 2012 I flew into Zambia with a British investor whom I had be-friended and promised to partner and establishing a Banana Plantation in Mansa. The poor soul, accompanied by his wife and myself spent lots of monies in both Travel, Hotel accommodation and Car hire etc. We put up all the Docs/project proposals including surveyors reports of the land in question at great cost and eventually, took them to the Ministry of lands for approval. To date, nothing has materialised, not even an acknowledgement from the Ministry. I have since travelled back to Zambia twice to chase up on this but still, nothing. Looks like the entire file is now missing as even their Registry have no records.
I am a true Zambian national whose parents fought so hard for our independence. What shall I do now? Tell…
You were in the wrong place in Zambia business starts at PACRA. YOu should have gone to ZDA for advice.
Alo alo alo Nkompe Shinyenga? You flew into Zambia and what? Do you need such complicated business proposals for a banana plantation. Buy a farm on title and plant the bloody bananas man! You are to aloof of the available options for farming that still ensure security of investment! Don’t just fly in as if you are on holiday boy.
@Nkope Shinyenga: You needed/still need someone on the ground in Zambia to do the work of a “foot soldier”. It is practically impossible to what you set out to do by “remote control” from the UK. Not with evil service; Oh sorry I meant to say civil service of Zambia
Ba Shinyenga,
Sad indeed. My wife is Zambian, from Luapula. Our 3 sons were born in Zambia. We wrote a proposal for poultry and pig farming in Kafubu Block, Luanshya. Our produce was going to be retailed through our outlet in the second-class business area of Luanshya. Once a month, we were going to hold open days to educate prospective farmers in the Luanshya District. We have ready cash in our savings account here in the UK. Like you, our documents have disappeared!
Bash Chakuchanya,
You also wrote a proposal for poultry and pig farming and your documents have disappeared also? What are you guys talking about? If you have proposals and there is a capex or capital component, and you say you have savings, buy land if you are a Zambian, put it on title and build the poultry and pig houses and employ a manager. While you can apply for land that takes time even for us who are on the ground. If note get traditional land and process title. Don’t be lazy and comfort each other about disappearing papers. Grow up boys.
Gents stop ukutumweneshamo with your crookedness how do you dupe a british to invest in such a business.
Chinese are owning car wash.
More lies from PFools. They are the same people who are selling work permits. Since 2011,Sata’s Chinese are supposed to be more compliant than RB’s and that’s why there’s a flood of Chinese. Nothing will change in Zambia with these double – faced liars.
It’s very disheartening to see Lebanese, hue of foreigners & Chinese crowding out Zambians. How do you explain a foreigner coming to make blocks, selling maize cobs, owning a sawmill, running a poultry farm, running a bottle store,eish. binary iyanganepoi
Explanation to your question is very simple.
1. Only people with ready cash to invest are foreigners and
2. That is because no funds are available to local entrepreneurs due to rampant unnecessary borrowing by current administration which has resulted in current high interest rates.
As to putting the blame on foreigners, just think how many Zambians will be unemployed if the foreigners leave?
By the way, does the Hon. Minister trying to say that Zambians should copy RSA xenophobia?
Our GRZ is always paying lip service to call to control the influx of low level investors or infestors eish, who is going to stand up for us, vima opposition leaders are always critical of the government of the day, wasting their energies about former 1st lady being evicted from a lodge, here are real issues!!
The government is the one giving these deals to foreigners and yet they want to pretend foreigners get here accidentally. Look at the e-government project,how many Zambians are working there? Look at the internet security issue,they brought in Huawei to block “unwanted” websites. What kind of people get foreigners to handle their security?
It’s easier for them to get cuts from foreigners than locals
These ministers never fail to amaze me! It is the government that issues work permits for a start. If there are no specific laws what is cabinet doing about it? They meet every week I understand. The other day another minister was complaining (to whom?) that there is no law against early marriages!
In Zambia you have foreigners working for some companies owned by fellow muzungu, mwenyes given work permits earning alot of money but these people are not even registered by any professional bodies like EIZ, ZIM etc but given titles like operations manager, general manager, compliance manager and yet what they do is either selling or marketing. We have a lot of these in the motor industry. Who gave these people work permits to be sales people in zambia??? These people have run away from their countries just be conduits for their friends owing businesses in Zambia. One company has this individual who is overseing accounts, sales, workshop, and hr. They have given him the title OM to confuse the workers they get work permits through bribing officials. let me end here wait for next time, l…
They should take a leaf from neighbouring countries like botswana. Things like restaurants block making, car washes etc are strictly for locals. Period.
zambians are just lazy…………..start your own business like many of us have……..you dont need to mourn everytime a foreigner comes in….compete with him…… show him how its done …he will run away on his own.