Honoured to have participated at The Global African Investment Summit in London this week to promote opportunities and investment in Zambia.
Here is the full statement on the message we delivered, what we learnt from others and what we advise the PF to do in order to capitalise on the potential for jobs and investment.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
This week I have been busy meeting with investors, business leaders, Heads of State and fellow politicians from across the African continent at The Global African Investment Summit in London.
On Tuesday I was honoured to represent our great nation and address delegates at the Summit on the huge potential that exists in Zambia across various sectors, including in tourism, agriculture, financial services, retail and telecommunications. Delivering a message focused firmly on opportunity, I shared some of my experiences of doing business in Zambia with the audience.
Speaking to fellow delegates and speakers, from Zambia, Africa and across the globe, it was exciting to discuss the ideas and interest that people have for projects which are exactly the sort of ventures we are in urgent need of in order to grow, strengthen and diversify our economy, as well as to create jobs and reduce the cost of living.
In recent months we have seen more than ever the danger of having an import dependent economy that is highly reliant on one commodity for its foreign exchange reserves. I was therefore particularly glad of the opportunity to engage with so many investors looking at agribusiness projects that can help us diversify our economy, lower the price of food and strengthen our currency through the earning of foreign exchange as we move from being a net importer to a net exporter.
During the course of the summit we have also had the benefit of listening to the experiences of various leaders from across the continent and what approaches and projects have delivered positive outcomes for their citizens. We listened to the concerns and reservations of prospective investors, which closely mirrored those that we have already heard at home during our domestic consultation with Zambian business leaders and entrepreneurs. From these conversations it is clear that if we are to capitalise on this interest and secure funding for projects that will create jobs, taxation revenues and foreign exchange reserves for Zambia then there is work to be done.
Returning home I urge the PF Government to improve the environment for business and investors through the following means:
- Cutting red tape – Currently the number of licenses and permits that are needed to start up a venture is prohibitive and drives up costs. This is an unnecessary disincentive to investment and must be addressed as some of our neighbours, such as Rwanda, have successfully done.
- Clarity and stability in terms of investment – Businesses need to have confidence that the fiscal terms and regulation governing their contracts will not be changed from day to day. Lack of certainty is a high barrier to investment. The best way to guarantee such stability is to ensure broad based consultation always precedes the adoption of a new policy.
- Project identification and promotion – If we want to attract investment in the areas we believe have the most transformative potential for Zambia then we must lead in identifying these opportunities and communicating them to those with capital. Government should lead in this endeavour, but all of us as citizens and entrepreneurs can play our part in promoting these openings.
- True partnership – We want investments that deliver jobs and sustainable growth over the course of several years. This requires the fostering of true partnerships between government and business, both domestic and international. Working together closely in a collaborative and cooperative manner that is focused on mutual benefit and shared ownership it the best way to not only create jobs, but also to protect those jobs.
Finally, it seems clear to me that quality of leadership is essential to this equation. Leadership that not only understands what needs to be done, but leadership that is also ready to take action and work hard until the job is done. As I have stated before this is one of my personal motivations in seeking public office and something I know the UPND could deliver on.
As the Summit concludes I would like to thank the hosts and all those who have shared their insights and ideas with me. We look forward to continuing the conversation in Lusaka.
Hakainde Hichilema
UPND President
I have reservation about UPND running the country because of the behaviour of some of their supporters and at times contradicatory behaviour by their leader,HH. However, the issues he has raised in this message are clear and simple and have been implemented countries with even lower resource base and difficult political environment and they have worked- Rwanda is as he has said is a good example! On this one,HH and UPND you have 100% support!What PF should do if they are clever is to call an internal economics and finance committee and look at these issues and come up with a new manifesto for 2016. I believe the manifesto that delivered Sata to plot 1 in 2011 cannot still be 100% valid 5 years after with the challenges we are going through.In bemba they say ” amano mapuli tu pula fye…
Zambians should not make a mistake and put HH in power. He is pretending to be nice and clever now but once in plot 1. Run the country the way he runs UPND on tribal lines the way he became UPND president. If a person can say “only a Tonga can rule UPND” what is he going to do when given presidential powers.
Other tribes in UPND are just means to an end. There will be clean up when UPND wins. UPND is a tribal party run by under five president.
Basing on want i have read in this official statement, i feel its better to depend upon God rather than these limited human beings. May God bless EL ,HH, NM and other political parties presidents.
Sorry, what not want.
The statement above does not say what marketing for Zambia HH did at this Summit. Instead, he runs to talk about what the PF government should do to attract investment. Whilst the advice to PF is sound, the statement does not say what HH said at the meeting in marketing Zambia.
Well said Mr President. You are just the man Zambia wants to restore its good standing in the world.
Vote UPND 2016.
Foreigners will never develop Zambia. This idea of thinking we need foreigners and start begging them is wrong. Let us concentrate on developing Zambia ourselves. Look at what begging for foreigners have done to Zambia. The MMD government gave tax holidays to many of these south african companies who either dumped us at the end of the holiday or complains and asks for extensions. What kind of benefits are we getting from for example shoprite apart from being used at cheap labor. The mining companies are quick to lay off workers at a small sign of depression. We do not need these people and we do not need HH who was stealing during privatization and wants to look like he cares now.
kci- what is your problem. Not able to read and interpret such a simple and a straight forward statement?? HH is not focusing only on foreigners to develop Zambia, he is talking about things that are essential to run a successful business whether you are a local or foreigner Red Tape will derail you if you want to run even a bar; clarity and stability on fiscal policy, even kantemba shop owners are currently frustrated by the yoyoing kwacha, project identification to focus on high improvement potential projects, not making roads to kukuland or schools without teachers, encourage true partnerships based on honesty not one up manship. These are the things we should work on!! This is free and good advice to the PF gvt trash it at your own peril. Try some of this and you may salvage a few…
@Jung when it comes to red tape what we are forgetting is that it is their mostly to raise taxes for the government to operate. HH is talking about it today because he is not in government. The moment he gets in he will realize he needs money to run government and chances him being what it is will make it worse. There is more red tape in the USA & UK than in Zambia the very countries we call developed. Believe me we get away with a lot of things in Zambia and foreigners to take advantage of us. The very people HH was undressing to a busy laughing at him.
#You started up very well up until the last sentence. Mr kci, you sound very educated and surely you haven’t also bought into the pf’s cheap lies of HH having gotten money from privatisation….
By the way, how do you say you do not need foreigners to develop Zambia, when their the same people you are going to begging for kaloba The foreigners you are talking about can’t entirely entrust you with their monies because they know you will simply squander it- in he past,you have been given loans for roads, but you instead plough the money into your political campaigns. Have you ever asked yrself as to why China gives you a loan and makes sure its a Chinese firm which carries out the works? Even where there is good will by the govt to empower the local man by giving contracts to Zambian…
#Cont. companies, they disappear without doing the works upon getting the monies–we have heard such stories on numerous occasions. So you can not talk of developing on your own when the majority of the Zambian businessmen, all they know is get rich fast, in short thieving
@Zezemba if you think China sends its contractors to Zambia to safeguard their loans then I am very disappointed with you. No country cares whether the loans they give out are misused. All they care about are ability to pay back with interest. China sends its contractors with the money the same reason the USA creates Wars around the world. They are simply killing two birds with one stone. They loan you the money with interest while reducing unemployment in their own countries. Do you think the Chinese who are doing labor work, plumbing, selling chicken in Zambia are safeguarding Chinese loans?
Good one Mr president.Let Sunday chanda continue barking like a mad dog.
Continued…meaning wisdom,knowledge and skills can be aquired by learning from others! So PF instead of criticizing HH, assemble your experts and pick some of his ideas and factor them in your next manifesto for 2016. ” Amano ma mbulwaa”…meaning -knowledge,skills and wisdom is acquired in the process of interaction. So as you interact with your opponents in politics,pick some of their ideas and plan on how to implement them since you the advantage of being in power. I saw Levy Mwanawasa doing some of the things PF and UPND made alot of noise about:Windfall tax,Winter Maize to avoid importing GMOs,Stadium in Ndola etc. That is wisdom and political skilfulness! Not impotent rebutals all the time!!
ICHILEMA IS A PETTY MAN HOW CAN YOU SAY THE PF GOVT. SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE & SAY ZAMBIAN GOVT ANYWAY WE HAVE A FULL SPEECH & WE KNOW WHAT BAD THINGS YOU SAID ABOUT ZAMBIA THE COUNTRY YOU WANT TO RULE, WHAT A SHAME!
Kindly publish the speech to expose him
(cc) Please post the full speech! There could have been some perceived negative things that were said. Lets us judge. However, what we have as of now can not be faulted, the PF Govt should just swallow their pride, there is no harm, if it is for the good of Zambia like “Zambia is ours” has said “-knowledge,skills and wisdom are acquired in the process of interaction”. We are currently going almost nowhere unless the “ME TOO” does something along these lines!!
Respect others you dull chap ( Chuundu Chaitwa )
Washing dirty linen in public!He exposed his novice approach to politics to individuals who would never back stab their countries and clearly missed the objectives of the forum- I would be surprised if anyone else at the forum down dressed their country- Under5!!!
Back stabbing is saying something bad behind the person being back stabbed. In this case, the Global Investment Summit (note Global a la Kambwili) was in public domain. Sir Edgar alluded to the same issues at his Press Conference attended by International Press and Heads of Mission, so what HH said was not private or washing dirty linen in public. Are you now agreeing that we have dirty linen? Thanx for coming back to reality, it is a good start. Take a leaf from the Kateka, at least he has begun to do something in the austerity measures he announced at the Press Conference which you clueless supporters are praising him for and yet not admitting that things have been wrong.
The supporters of hh really amaze me! Here is a man who shrouds himself in an economic cloak and regarded as a super Zambian hero who has the propensity to change Zambia-in truth, he is shrouded by ethnic tissue objectives that crowd his real reasons for ascension to power!He needs to revisit his whole being!
He does not understand the psyche of the Zambian people. 50 years from now, we will STILL BE TALKING ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF ZAMBIA!
Comment: that is a repeat of leasing zambia on cheat teams like what happened during privitisation anyway he went as businessman not govt representtive
Comment: that is a repeat of leasing zambia on cheat teams like what happened during privitisation anyway he went as businessman not govt representtive i would hve called cousin wandiletelel
What do you expect from HH. He got rich during privatization and would like a repeat of the same.
not only as they are under five they have failed to manage their villages it has taken 40yrs for Namwala to have a fueling station and yet taht is where the person who goes to sell his ideas elsewhere trying to educate the whites who are already educated iterms of the economies and have got the same theories you are sharing with with them,if they really wanted to teach the africans they would have held the conference here in southern Africa,since they saw that you will be excited in getting on plane to london and sleep in their exotic hotels,don’t tell us that they met your bills and moreover you have not mentioned anyone from west africa attending that becoz africans are awake with deeds of whites so namulomba nolupiya mwana you be disappointed talk of rwanda we are harbouring alot of…
How dare for this GREMLIN to paint our beloved Zambia with filthy at such a summit! He needs to reverse the concoctions of his cult and cleanse any portions that he has taken for him to see bad and bitterness every time he is put on international lime light! Definitely UNZAMBIAN!
When were you last in Zambia? Zambia is now a filthy country starting from Inter-city bus terminus to wherever you go. You will soon start hearing of deaths from cholera in a big way. Tell your government to start cleaning up the surroundings.
He went to appease his funders for next year elections so he had to play s!upid!
Virgin Angel, the way Bwana Edgar did in January 2015? Now he is a puppet. U turns every now and then! At least HH has something that he can show as personal assets even before he ascends to the highest office in the land – read not STATE HOUSE like some of you are so obsessed with. There is power, freedom, pride and joy in wealth, particularly if you personally worked for it. Not using the backdoor or flaunting the other back and claim virginity. What a fraud!!
@Chuundu Chaitwa,I agree with u. I read the nonsense he uttered at the summit and it was unbelivable how this Idol worshipper undressed the nation he seeks to lead. He was busy tarnishing or painting Zambia black,a no go area for investment,what a shame! Instead of using the summit to market Zambia,the fool was busy tearing us down.This 1diot is a traitor,backstubber,hyppocrit and unpatriotic. U wont see our vote next year,shaaaa!!!!
He’ll see my vote. How about that?
A foolish country deserves to be undressed. Kaponyas don’t deserve any respect. Luckily HH was very nice by portraying a debt-ridden and mismanaged country in the way he did. I personally always tell people the truth about Zambia – the dirt, the kaponyas, the corruption, very high prices, tribalism, regionalism, etc.
Jung let him keep that to himself he has no shame,everyone knows that he stole from the zambian pipo,but he still goes on the antihill to expose his foolishness to the innocent and prayerful zambian pipo and ifipuba they are busy following umungulu,awe satana kwena alapamya so kulya baile baliya ba blenda nomba katwishi nomba nganaba fika mubena jezzy level sad indeed all in all God is watching and has all the secrets for mankind .
I READ A TRANSCRIPT OF THE SPEECH IN FULL. HH WAS VERY PRECISE AND ARTICULATE. HE DID NOT TRASH ZAMBIA INSTEAD WHAT HE DID WAS MAKE IT CLEAR THAT AS A NATION WE UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES THAT SOME INVESTORS HAVE AND THAT WE ARE READY TO ADDRESS THEM TO ATTRACT INVESTMENT.SECONDLY HE EXPLAINED THE NATURE OF OUR MACRO ECONOMIC NEED AND ALSO THE TYPE OF PARTNERSHIPS WE ARE LOOKIM G FOR AND READY TO WORK WITH. HH ALSO ADDRESSED THE NEED TO FACILITATE LOCAL INVESTMENT BY EMPOWERMENT OF THE CITIZENRY.
FELLOW ZAMBIANS ITS TIME TO FACE THE AWKWARD TRUTH. WE HAVE A GOVERNMENT THAT DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE ECONOMIC CRISIS WE ARE FACING. THE PF HAS NO CLUE HOW TO NAVIGATE THESE WATERS. ITS TIME FOR CHANGE!
@I could have believed you if typed in small letters. Do you have a problem with your keyboard or are just as bitter as HH? If you became too emotional expressing yourself you lose an opportunity to be heard just like HH did. He attached too much of himself to an International event to an extent that the audience would have told him that we do not vote in Zambia.
iwe @loadist! This fallacy of alluding successful development only when your novice politician ascends to power is indeed pathetic and hogwash! The PF has more governance experience than the Under 5s you are advocating for- you want them to come for ” job on training” and cart us to colonial level development- better the devil you know than one you know not!!!
@KCI; You have an already predetermined position and its easy to look through you. People like you are an embarrassment and not worthy listening to. Remember, when you point one figure at another three are pointing at you. Get treated for amnesia or you die!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAAAAA …… just discovered that KCI is actually Sunday Chanda’s fake name on LusakTimes….!!!!! trying to defend the rubbish he published ……yoh!
That is the beauty of Internet. People can only speculate. On another blog some other retard accused me of using a company computer and Internet connection. I wonder what kind of people will be proud of someone who sinks so low as to tarnishing their country’s image. If that is what it takes to be in plot 1 then I am very glad I am not HH. Its like going to a neighbor’s house and talk badly about you own home so that the neighbor can give you some sugar.
kci – Do you post anything on LusakTimes? Which place is that?
A leopard can and will never change it’s spot those who are pretending we know them we are waiting to rip them apart;talking on any fore does not warrant one to become president Dangote is almost on every world business fore and David Nama in Zambia.
Fellow zambian hh was just reading what was written for him to impress the gathering giving a good picture about himself/upnd little do these pipo know that he is tribal,selfish,ruthless,dictator who has externalised zed cash contributing to poor economy.during by elections in solwezi all shops,houses,incharges,owned by bembas,easterners were warned that they will be chased out immediately upnd comes into power by upnd cadres who were going shop/house to shop campagning.i m lunda but i saw danger coming.fof lungu to me is neutral we just all work together to solve economical problems. He can even address the UN but to us he is useless.WE KNOW HIM BETTER THAN THEY DO. I LEFT SOLWEZI BCOZ OF UPND CADRES TOO VIOLENT& PROVOGATIVE mainly acting under lutuku beer
That boy hh won’t develop anything apart from stealing the way he did with mines and sun hotel
HH has an ethnicity indelible bias! He is what he was elected on, tribal trash!!!
You dunderheads what is so tribal about what HH said at this conference? Ba fikala emwe, you accuse this man of many things lying through you dirty teeth with all your dull comments here that sound more clouded with envy for this son of the soil. Most of you good for nothing bloggers need some mental examination pantu the labeling and stereotyping of other tribes is way too much. Time will come when you will be exposed, we would want to know what sort of parents you have who sow seeds of hate in you. Its extremely unfortunate you are Zambians.
What else do you expect from kaponyas? MumbiPhiri told us that PF is a party for marketeers and kaponyas. They will do everything to make sure that no intellectual rules Zambia. Zambia is headed for the gutter under these kaponyas.
For UPND,
Tell me which new idea brought by HH in his spech, all the issues he had raised have been said before from the time of MMD to date. There is nothing new from his spech. It shocks me for some Zambian s to think that foreign investment can develop our country is that possible?
The FACT is for every dollar that follows into Africa as FDI, 4 more dollars is shipped away
Even if HH does not became president,He has done his best and showed us you can take over a party and grow it,despite all the evil lies,plots against you.He has not been scared and has been resolute,can not be bought .You *****ic cadres commenting here are just envious of him,you cheap ass haters go hang yourselves.I think its true people commenting against here are those employed in this government,like bad ass kambwili and ka chanda or bitch ass mumbi who are benefiting i.Because an ordinary person who 4 months ago was buying boom at k5 and now he is buying at k11 can not write such trash against an opposition leader just offering checks and balances.tribalism is brewing badly and soon we will start seeing killings in the names of tribes,this country should be just amicably split,those…