Zambia’s Ambassador to Germany Anthony Mukwita has invited Bayerische Motoren Werke or Bavarian Motor Works in English, BMW, the German car manufacturer, to set up a plant in Zambia to manufacture electric components for their cars. Ambassador Mukwita said Zambia has abundant copper and cobalt resources that are key in the manufacture of electric car components.
According to a statement released to the media by Kellys Kaunda, the First Secretary – Press and Public Relations of the Zambian Embassy in Berlin, Mr. Mukwita made the remarks at the BMW Headquarters in Munich where the Zambian flag was flying next to that of Germany, the company and the State of Bavaria to mark the official visit of the Zambian envoy. He spoke during a working lunch with the company’s top officials who included Christian Bahoo who is in charge of Government and External Affairs for the Middle East and North Africa, Kai Zobelein in charge of Steering Governmental and External Affairs and Sustainability Communications and Brigitte Kleinbeck in charge of Raw Material Management, Energy, Fasterners, Plastics, Chemical Products and Process Materials.
“We would like you to come and set up shop in Zambia and manufacture those components whose role materials such as copper and cobalt are in abundance in Zambia” said the Zambian envoy. Ambassador Mukwita told BMW that Zambia offered the required investment climate that included a stable political climate as evidenced by the peace that has characterized the nation since her independence from Britain in 1964.
“In addition, Zambia is a country of laws that protect your investment”, Mr. Mukwita said adding, “and we are a nation of 365 days of sunshine”.
In his remarks, Mr. Zobelein said BMW was open to the possibility of doing business with countries in possession of materials the company needs. “But we are also concerned about the need for the respect of human rights especially as they pertain to child labor”, Mr. Zobelein pointed out adding, “our customers would like to make sure that our product does not carry materials from sources that are engaged in child labor”.
Mr. Zobelein and Mrs. Kleinbeck just returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo where they visited some mining operations. In response, Ambassador Mukwita assured the BMW officials that Zambian mining operations had an excellent record of human rights and no children are engaged in mining activities.
Mr. Bahoo told Ambassador Mukwita that BMW was also equally interested in the progress and processes regarding the recently launched African Free Trade Area under the auspices of the African Union, AU. For BMW, Mr. Bahoo said the Free Trade Area presented some business opportunities that could encourage further investment on the African Continent. Currently, BMW only has two plants in Africa – South Africa and Egypt out of 35 the company operates around the world.
The Zambian envoy indicated that significant progress has been made as the majority of African countries have signed the agreement including Zambia.
The BMW plant in Munich sits on a one-hundred-acre plot producing one thousand cars per day or one car per minute. 25% of the cars are sold in Germany, another 25% in Europe while the rest are exported to the US and the rest of the world.
Sometime last year, Dr. Albert Muchenga of the African Union made a presentation at Africa Verein, a German business association conference in Berlin attended by Ambassador Mukwita at which he called on copper producing countries to take advantage of the introduction of electric cars to gain more out of their natural resources.
The matter was again a subject of discussion at the recently held inaugural economic summit in Livingstone organized by the Economic Association of Zambia, EAZ, which was officially opened by President Edgar Lungu and attended by his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyata and former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete. Ambassador Mukwita attended at the invitation of the EAZ. At the summit, the Zambian government and its envoys abroad were challenged to play a part in persuading car manufacturers to look to Zambia for their electric car materials.
The visit to BMW was therefore part of the follow up on the conference resolutions that should position Zambia strategically as the world takes measures to mitigate the impact of climate change by gradually reducing heavy dependence on fossil fueled cars to electric vehicles.
Always begging and asking. Why cant your party in power facilitate the opening of such industries by zambians? And you must be crazy if you think BMW would set up camp in a country with 12 hour load shedding and workers who are hungry . Sort out the mess in your country first. It seems you have lost touch with reality since moving to Sweden
Dreaming is free.
ROLE MATERIALS kkkkkkkkkkk!!!!
How many Zambians have bimmers, for BMW to set shop just a few kilometers from their shop in SA? What kind of businessman would make such a wacky business decision.
Zambia it is time you built your own cars for Zambians by Zambians. It is time you manufactured your own phone. It is time you manufactured your own computer. All it takes is the will to do it Zambia. A living man is a thinking man, thus he is capable of anything. Spread your wings Zambia, you only have so much time to stand up and be counted. Let’s build brands in Zambia, we can do it. If the Germans can do it, we can too. All the answers to own problems are within not without. “Stand and sing of Zambia, proud and free.” Those immortal words from our national anthem should be the anthem to our lives as a people. Zambia is proud because Zambia is free. That includes being free from begging, let’s start thinking.
Anthony Mukwita a well deserved attempt. Good on you.
This is what it means to be part of the solution from everyone. Diplomats play a big role to lobby for investors.
Big Western Companies set up their manufacturing plants in China, or emerging countries for cheaper labour and cost of production Then they ship the products to go and sell in USA, UK, German and the rest of the world. This includes the richest company in USA , Apple the manufacture of mobile iMacs, iPhones, iPads.
So having BMW to make some of its products in Zambia is very good. It will create jobs and pay taxes to GRZ. This is how the world spins. I cannot understands the critics on this platform.
Independent Observer*** The attitude on this platform is really what makes Zambia become stuck, especially from UPND’ead. For them they shoot down every progressive idea. Just because there is an obstacle in form of you, you dont just give up. No wonder their supreme leader will not rule Zambia.
BMW is a global brand. They hv people whose day job is examine the competitive situation in the market and thrn make appropriate decisions. They cannot be moved by such appeals. BMW started life as an engine maker only.They changed it and started making cars later.
HAJEALOUS HAGAIN! He will never be president in ZAMBIA! Maybe a sectional leader in NAMWALA! “Namwala NEVER Happened” Prof. Hansoni!
@INDEPENDENT OBSERVER, Don’t mind brainwashed sycophants who only pop up on here for “clicks” and to troll. Just read the topic of the thread and you can almost always tell the “usual suspects” for negative and positive comments. There is no thought to it but KNEEJACK REACTIONS….it is a muscle memory deal…. absolutely no effort given to thoughtfulness and intellect!
@Nemwine, what do you think MARKETING YOURSELF means? How do you expect the folks you have identified at BMW to know about you and what have to offer if you don’t go out there and market yourself/country? Do you even understand how many parts that go into making a car are manufactured or made in different parts of the world before finally assembled into a car? And that is what Mukwita is asking BMW to consider…
Continue….
doing in Zambia. What is so wrong about that?
HH has invested looted money from Zambia into PANAMA. When he dies the money shall die in PANAMA Holoso but he has no clue because he is a member of Under 5.
By the way let him edge them to bring along their electricity for manufacturing, as it is I am typing from the dark. But can they manufacture in darkness?
Yambayamba # 1.9
Thank you !!
Ambassador? More likely an uneducated clown. Tell BMW to bring their own electricity to power manufacturing machinery because your government can only provide either local charcoal, imported candles and truck-load of permanent failures masquerading as ministers and MP’s.
This little I…. t again. BMW and Zambia you must be joking… Once in a while he writes Zambia is getting new investors but nothing is realist. Stop dreaming you useless guy!
Anthony just went to see if he could kelenka a free BMW X5 …….
I thought this guy was more cleverer than this…….you might have the raw materials , do have a local market ? Do you have trainned technicians ?
You were better off looking at inviting German companies of domestic solar power plants to come and set up assembly/manufacturing in Zambia…..that is more realistic…
You are right, it’s better to pursue deals in feasible things like solar energy. Siemens the largest clean energy company in the world is headquartered in Germany if I am not mistaken. Why not ask them to provide us with the technology to solve our power crisis? BMW is in the luxury vehicle segment so asking them to set up shop in Zambia would be akin to asking Gucci to set up a clothing factory in Zambia. It’s impossible, anyway prove us wrong Anthony.
That likely is his aim, getting a free new car thinking the Germans also do corrupt inducements even where they have zero benefits.
The Zambian supply chain is designed to delay everything, nothing works. It’s therefore not ready for such state-of-the-art manufacturing. Our market is small so the Company can only survive by looking to the export market. In Zambia courier companies don’t know how to charge for freight unless you take your katundu to their office for assessment! At Mercury Couriers aka Tigmoo sometimes parcels disappear and reappear according to the person attending to you. The attitude of the girls on the phone is something else, when those girls tell you that they’ll call back soon my friend just forget. They mean try again later, and the next person doesn’t know anything. It’s easy for them to say it’s not me that does that, wait for Mr so so. Life is designed for you to fail
Zambians pathetic as they are and claim to be educated must ask themselves why BMW, VW, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Audi, Bosch, Siemens, Stihl just to name a few, have huge investment in xenophobic, crime ridden and uneducated South Africa. To say South Africans are not educated is the figment of Zambians’ imagination. More than 85% of employees in all the above mentioned German companies are black South Africans. To enlighten some of the educated Zambians on this platform, the VW plants in Kenya and Rwanda are branches of VWSA and have less to do with VW Germany.
Things cant be 100% for us to announce ourselves as a country ready to invest in!! One thing of the reasons cars from S.Africa dont enjoy reduced tariffs in Zambia is that we could lose revenue even if this could afford us cheaper cars.Now if that lost revenue is covered by new jobs in component manufacturing then we shall feel part of the production process of such vehicles.VW like BMW is a German company already in Rwanda,what is better there than Zambia in human rights,child labour,conflict minerals etc.PLIZ LET US CONSIDER THE GLASS HALF FULL THAN OTHERWISE!!THIS IS A GOOD EFFORT FROM OUR AMBASSADOR,PLIZ KEEP IT UP.ALL WE NEED IS CONSISTENT FOLLOW UPS AND LISTENING TO WHAT THIS TYPE INVESTORS MAY NEED,THEY CAN ADD VALUE TO OUR NATURAL RESOURCES AND ECONOMY MORE THAN THE USUAL MINING!!
#Zambiaisours, Bro b do not speculate. Facts on th ground favours Rwanda no wonder VW like BMW are already there. It was not because of the Car Manufacturers wr begged it is because Rwanda ranks no 29, on Top African Countries for Doing Business. Zambiaisat a distant 87.
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We are a long way off before we can confidently announce that we are good for business. Rwanda has even attracted US Universities so they are now well above the ashes of Genocide. All we are doing is fighting, Ruling and Oppositions each with its cadres. Not much in the way of business!
I like your line of thought. One in million, we need brains like yours, not people who do politics even when it not necessary. As a country we need industrialized.
It is good to try. However do we have the skilled Human capital to support the plant? First Zambia needs to do it’s part and then investors will be attracted to open plants in Zambia.
It is better to try when you have a chance. We don’t have much of a chance as we have not primed ourselves for Business other than the rhetoric that we are open for business. We need to address the energy crisis, improve manpower, work on making our Business processes efficient. Most Zambian companies are too ineffective and that will disrupt Supply chains, which is crucial for Manufacturing High-tech products.
Calling investors is not begging all countries in this world need investors, Tata of India has invested in the UK.
Before we comment on anything we need to test our intellect or else we show our ignorance.
Is he day dreaming? Firstly power problem then how many bmw in Zambia ?when will they recover their
Investment? How many parts can you sell?I think he didn’t know what
To tell them.lost of topic.
Yes the attitude on this platform stinks. These guys just at anything in the dark without even analyzing what is going on.
Their attitude can be likened to dogs barkimg at the moon.
One thing for sure their all time losing president will never be at state house.
BMW CA NOT INVEST IN ZAMBIA BECAUSE IN NO TIME WILL THEY BE CHASED LIKE MOPANI MINE BY THE NON CARING VISION LESS LEADER WHO IS BUSY LOOTING STATE RESOURCES.
Zambians, awe sure! setting up a factory in Zambia to manufacture electric component for cars is not the same as setting up a car manufacturing plant. The government’s intention may be to attract the latest technologies in manufacturing electrical components but do they realise that these industries are highly automated and would depend on a highly-skilled workforce which is short supply in Zambia? We are better off sending our bright students to Germany to learn how to make these components ourselves so that we can set up shop in Zambia and manufacture components for all new electric cars around the globe and not just BMW. Inviting businesses to take advantage of your natural resources is like inviting a thief in your house in the hope that they’ll bring you food and drink.
Zambians, awe sure! setting up a factory in Zambia to manufacture electric component for cars is not the same as setting up a car manufacturing plant. The government’s intention may be to attract the latest technologies in manufacturing electrical components but do they realise that these industries are highly automated and would depend on a highly-skilled workforce which is short supply in Zambia? We are better off sending our bright students to Germany to learn how to make these components ourselves so that we can set up shop in Zambia and manufacture components for all new electric cars around the globe and not just BMW. Inviting businesses to take advantage of your natural resources is like inviting a thief in your house in the hope that they’ll bring you food and drink.
BMW Group has a global supplier network. Anyone can apply who wants to supply them with what is needed at a certain BMW company area.