Thursday, March 28, 2024

Zambia is losing its trade with the European Union

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By Edward Chisanga

President Hichilema preaches trade and investment to the EU

When President Hichilema tells the European Union (EU) that he wants more trade and investment between his country and the largest and perhaps richest regional grouping in the world, it is not because we like parroting his words that we support his call. Heads of State make statements in public, out of which intellectuals pick pieces and put them together to share a point with citizens, not out of malice for those found with stains in the story but to simply inform the public. The President simply asked the EU to invest and trade more with Zambia. He doesn’t tell me what to write out of that but I see an opportunity.

But Zambia has been divesting trade from the EU

Many Zambians may be forgiven if they assume that Zambia’s main trading partner is the EU. Yes, it used to be many years ago. But no more as Figure 1 below shows. Between 2001 and 2013, Zambia experienced rising trend in exports which was not continued thereafter. Instead, the last ten years are characterized by high rise in imports from the EU which, at one point in 2013, shot up to over US$1.2 billion.

Although government tried to bring imports down quite immensely, it continued to import significantly at the expense of exporting more to the EU, leading to massive trade deficit, which in 2013 reached a staggering minus US$800 million. Although the last ten years saw steadfast improvement in bringing down the deficit, manifested in the rising line shown between 2013 and 2020, this good effort falls short in overcoming the long downtrend shown between 2001 and 2013. Let me remind the reader that a country that continuously records trade deficits fails to leverage external income from trade unless it is spending money on importing capital and intermediate goods for industrialization.

Zambia’ major imports from the EU

Yes, Zambia imported more capital goods from the EU than consumer goods as Figure 2 below shows. But imports of consumer goods is equally high. I’m not sure if it is possible for the country to reduce significantly imports of consumer goods without knowing what they really are. Often, assumptions are made that the country should produce what it imports in order to lower imports and earn trade surpluses. But we have to be frank sometimes and state that many products produced by Zambians have very low quality and do not meet consumer needs. Most honey, made in Zambia for example has funny smell that makes it difficult to continue eating it. Consumers, including Zambians have the right to quality products including imported ones. Striking the balance between these two conflicting sides is not easy.

Zambians cannot simply be subjected to bad products for the sake of nationalism. Zambians must become globally competitive. But using dilapidated machinery, backward processes, unskilled manpower, juxtaposed by under-developed infrastructure, how can they?

Whether we like it or not, export value addition, improved products and the development of the local private sector may not come from Zambians alone in the long-term. It needs to be complimented by foreign direct investment (FDI) that President Hichilema is calling for from developed and more advanced developing countries. Zambia’s significant loss of FDI in the last two decades has largely contributed to its retarded economic growth. While Zambia has literally nothing to export to the EU (because, instead, it is exporting copper to China and Switzerland), our leaders must focus on negotiating FDI, technology, infrastructure and human capital development.

Much as I may be referred to as West-centric, by those who think that development will only come from Zambians, I assent that the President is doing the right thing. Viet Nam, which has overtaken Africa in exports of manufactured goods flourished partly due to FDI from the West and within Asia. But in Africa, we don’ have the likes of Singapore, Korea, China, etc where we can get FDI. South Africa is alone and only investing in retail outlets.

9 COMMENTS

  1. European countries HATE corruption and dishonesty. And therefore many EU states have disappeared from Zambia, or are disappointed when promises change into EMPTY PROMISES. That’s why HH is just flying around and not coming back with anything tangible. All those countries and investors want him to DELIVER and that’s what’s lacking after TEN MONTHS IN POWER.

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  2. To some people success is travelling thousands of kilometres to shake hands with people who don’t and will never consider you their equals. Those that stole your resources and built their economies off what they stole from you. Those whose forefathers took black Africans as slaves. But it doesn’t surprise me because hh has always been a c00n who even undervalued our resources to help the whltes he worships

  3. To some peoplI success is traveIIing th0usands of kiI0metres to shake hands with pe0ple who don’t and will never consider you their equaIs. Those that stole your res0urces and built their ec0n0mies off what they stoIe from you. Those whose f0refathers took bIack Africans as sIaves. But it doesn’t surprise me because hh has always been a c.0.0.n who even undervaIued our res0urces to help the whltes he w0rships

  4. To some pe0ple success is traveIIing th0usands of kiI0metres to shake hands with pe0ple who don’t and will never consider you their equaIs. Those that stole your res0urces and built their ec0n0mies off what they stoIe from you

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      the same people whose grandparents raped our black grandmothers. Hh likes abasungu and w0rshlp them so am not surprised he thinks he has made it

  5. . Those whose f0refathers took bIack Africans as sIaves. But it doesn’t surprise me because hh has always been a c.0.0.n who even undervaIued our res0urces to help the whltes he w0rships

  6. Kaizer, this subject is beyond your comprehension. Sometimes just remain quiet and let us who understand comment

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  7. This write up is good. Perhaps what should be added is that we need to establish vehicles that can make use of this info. The period that saw Zambia export more to the EU was at the height of ZEGA which is now just a shadow of itself especially after Agri Flora went down. There’s a demand for non GMO and organically grown product in the EU. Rolf Shenton, Prince Aka, Sebastian Scott and team have been promoting conservation farming but face stiff competition from the likes of Monsanto and Syngenta. I urge them to form a cooperative that’ll reclaim the market lost by Agri Flora. When there’s a defined market for organically grown products it’ll attract farmers to join. HH has just opened the door but we need to take a step to enter, let’s not stand by that door

  8. Zambia/China that’s your problem Zambia owes China a fortune in debt and always the Western world gets the blame. kZ has a Union Jack by his name yet he does nothing but call the British down? He is very rude on his President HH, he should be locked up for slanderous insults. Don’t hide behind the British flag hide behind the Chinese flag and by the way look at their humanitarian reports. As for slave labour who built the Pyramids and Rome? Not the British, The world has a lot of history on human rights and in Africa tribal wars and conflicts have been going on for many years. We will never forget as we shouldn’t but KZ try if you can be polite!!!, Zambia could do well if it was back on track with Europe not just China.

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