A career diplomat, Lameck Kamalo, says Zambians in the diaspora are not doing enough to bring investment opportunities in the country.
Mr Kamalo told ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday that some Ambassadors and High Commissioners particularly are not attracting real investment into Zambia.
He advised President Michael Sata to recall or fire non performing Ambassadors and replace them with vibrant youths whom he said are readily available graduate diplomats.
Meanwhile, Mr Kamalo recommended that the Zambia Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies (ZIDIS) be upgraded to a university for it to attract international students which would later lead to Zambia coordinating conflict management in Africa.
And Mr Kamalo, who earlier visited Mufumbwe Member of Parliament, Steven Masumba and Zambian Musician Clifford Dimba, popularly known as “General Kanene” in prison, has called on the youths to stand by each other at all times.
Mr Kamalo who is also Chief Executive Officer of Big 5 Africa awards international described prison as a college where people are reformed and learn not to repeat the crime they committed.
I have sent several clothes and money home.
I also participate in most forums what lie investments do they want from us.
I am in awe.
Thanks
That has nothing to do with national investment, but rather self empowerment.
iwe mushota,, when did you become a Zambian diplomat uko scotland/uk???
Unfortunately most of our diplomats are part of the family tree and the tribal clique within PF. Non of them earned their jobs on merit. The mediocrity at our embassies is frightening. How can clueless diplomats attract foreign investment. Mumbi Phiri, a diplomat, My foot!
Iwe ka Mushota you are not a diplomat or are you telling us that you actually work at the Zambian mission? The net is closing in on you, we will soon know who you are. The Govt. is actually looking for you online trouble makers. It will be worse if you are actually paid by tax payer’s money while you stir trouble. Mushota profile: i) supposedly to be married to a Scottish man ii) alleged to be doing a PhD iii) definitely hates HH with a vengeance and now iv) might be connected to the Zambian mission.
Well, the originator of this article just farted. First of all, I sponsored myself when corruption never knew us because of no family members in the GOVT, so shut the F. Only my family members and close friends will keep on benefiting, Western Union knows it.
Folks
I am absolutely sure Mushota is bipolar.
Folks
I don’t see much benefit for Zambia from some of these missions abroad, like Turkey, apart from the fact that PF created jobs for their Family forest. Three nurses and a care worker have been appointed as ambassadors in countries where Zambia gets very little or nothing in terms of FDI.
Each mission consumes a whooping over $5 million a year , but for what really ?What a wast of money!.
Any way very soon the PF will start recalling them not because of the reason I mentioned above, but purely because PF is now broke and has no money to continue maintaining those missions abroad.
Most will be recalled and them missions merged so that one mission will cater for 3 or more countries.
It is your prerogative to say as you please, but please do not assassinate my Character,
Unlike you I have been TESTED, TASTED and TRUSTED.
You lot in as much as you bring mild calmness to these blogs are merely flavours of the month.
I have seen through many before you, looked at them argued thrown fists at, and they have
Gone away, but before you becomes such statistics and victims of my awesomeness I suggest we
Keep things in perspective.
Most Importantly I demand to be respect, catered to, cherished, revered to and treasured. Not too much to ask is it?
I am not hear to put smile in people, but to seek Justice and the truth.
The truth is, using my Intellectual PhD mammogram ,you two are just frustrated UPND cadres.
Thanks
@ Mushota/o
You are the ONLY person which has committed multiple suicide of its own character and still pretend that has some character left.
Please carry on.
Life is to boooorrring without your PhD 1diocy.
Not you airhead, Libertade….. you bellend!
I don’t spare time for dullards. Silly.
I was referring to Wanzelu and Dr Wabo.
They are a a polar opposite to me, which is what I crave.
Thanks
@Mushota
So you were tested for bipolar. When was it done? I think your psychiatrist missed the diagnosis the first time he tested you. So you should go back and be tested again by a different doctor.
Only trying to help here, no malice at all.
Nzelu,
That is a little bit over the top.
I am sure you regret writing that now.
I forgive you, naturally.
Thanks
I choose to remain silent and apologise for my outbursts. Just that something bad happened yesterday and the keyboard was the nearest thing to me and you just happened to be in the firing line. You are a nice person truly committed to the cause of truth and Justice.
Dr Wabo,
I am sorry I became a victim of your tantrums.
I hope your loved ones are spared the paroxysm I was remotely subjected to.
Being Zambian inside of you , I need to remind you to live and Obey the rules of the greatest Kingdom in the world the UK, or you will be done for GBH, if you do that to your loved ones.
Thanks
@Mushota
Mwana, I did not mean any malice when I suggested that you may be bipolar. After all being bipolar is a disability beyond one ‘s control. So its not your fault that you come out like you are bipolar because its an affliction you can not control when under its spell.
Some times you do comment normally ,but at times your comments tend to be way off topic. These are the times I tend to think you would be commenting outside your normal self.
The fact remains I have not met you in person, so I am just speculating on your mental condition based of your comments.
Please don’t take it personal. You are not the only one I think you have a mental problem, but the whole PF cohort who support PF even when the evidence is clear that PF is leading Zambia to a disastrous future…
Sho! When I read from @Mushota right down to @Wanzelu and my respected @Dr Eustace Wabo, I stand in awe of what I would call mature bloggers! I could freeze this in a frame of what should be. I always find Wanzelu interesting because he sticks to his guns and blogs his mind. @Mushota does remind me of an ex-colleague who would sometimes speak about a topic that was long piqued but not commented on despite it being irrelevant to the moment. @Dr Eustace Wabo is eternally sensible and well deserving of his status and title. I salute you all! Thank you for making this a worthwhile site to visit!!!
@Kalok after reading your posting I couldn’t bear to not break my vow of silence just a appreciate your point. Not because you shower me with praises but because you intimate that blogging should be sensible, focussed and didactic. There are varied opinions which will give those that care an idea of how there actions are perceived buy the public (not a representative sample though, just an idea). Maybe the days of the insulting bloggers are almost over. We do agree to disagree which is normal. With Zambia’s jubilee around the corner we might even meet somewhere to exchange notes, the chief bloggers might even call up a meeting/workshop for bloggers to shape up and sharpen their tools to bring maximum positivity to the blogging fraternity. MUSHOTA TO CHAIR (no harm intended please).
Dual citizenship can be a great motivator
They must have learnt from their lazy boss bwana Sata lazying off for months in plot one and doing zero work in a New York hotel room.
You are absolutely spot on!!
Am not too sure what this guy is talking about. The President is too smart to spot the lazy high commissioners and ambassadors. Such kind of talk undermines the appointing authorities. I will never read anything from this chap so called Kamalo. I should take it was just a publicity stint to prove his relevance.
In fact, Zambians away from their countries live in limited conditions and do return because the skills they acquire are mediocre. The money earned outside is basically hand-to-mouth and not much must be expected from them. I do not know of a single Zambian who lives out of the country who can safely claim to be doing better than Zambian businessmen.
Iwe Lord, kwena uli mbushi. If you do not know of any Zambian abroad who is doing better than a local Zambian business person, that is up to you. I can see you are writing from the European Union, and if you are suffering and your qualifications are mediocre, then do something about it. Do not generalise issues because you are insulting us.
You are evidently not doing better. You live in tiny appartments, eat unhealthy foods because healthy foods are costly. Zambians abraod are not doing well enough, do not be deceived. Fact is that you would live worse if you were in Zambia with mediocre qualifications and skills, “flipping brugers at Burger King”.
And we are not insulting you. We do not envy you. This is 2014- Everyone knows how you live.
Every car driven by a Zambian in Zambia is imported from the diaspora, thus speaks volume and remain with your vi giligili.
PF is wasting and worsening people’s livelihoods. Investment with Shamenda at the helm my. “cool low”?
Zambia is a failed state.
Perhaps you need to get your head out of your butt and start thinking straight. Please get the definition of the term “DIASPORA” before you can comment! What are you suffering from? Finger- keyboard diarrhoea?
Dear @Dark Lord Voldemont
You seem to suggest that only Zambians are struggling in Europe. that is proof positive that you are completely stupid and an *****.
This last recession brought a lot of Europeans to that same level after years of living on borrowed money and the sweat of Indians in sweat shops making products for amoral white Europeans. Did you not see Greek citizens at war with EEC? Have you not heard a general cry from the cuts cuts imposed by European gov’ts on their citizens. Do you not know most citizens (whites included) can’t afford decent housing and adult men and women have returned to their parents homes to live with them because if shortage of housing in UK. DO YOU NOT KNOW of Zero Hour contracts, in UK where people have jobs but earn no money.
@DARK LORD TWITHEAD
You talk so badly of Zambia but your gov’ts in Europe are desperately pushing their white citizens to return to poor African countries to recolonise us because a starving white moron must enslave blacks to survive! INVESTORS! My foot, INVADERS. We blacks have been providing for the whites on this earth for ages. All these investors on Stock Exchange in UK are paying our money into their economy and being encouraged by the UK gov’ts lack of action in banning them from floating on stolen money from poor countries.
ARE YOU really so lacking in even basic education, you can’t trace the history of what is going on? You come on this forum with an attitude that you are the Big Kahuna, when in fact you are a Neo a Fascist Ranting and Raving racist slogans…
I guess you are right about a lot of Zambians doing better than those abroad, though life is much more than having some much property and so many cars. There is still a lot of things out of sync in Z, that surely makes living in Z uncomfortable. However a patriot living abroad will also strive to rescue some sanity, while people like the ‘Lord of riches’ will boast about how much money they can splash around. ‘My lord’ you are also forgetting how some Zambians have been made rich by partnering with someone from the diaspora and then cheating to pocket all the wealthy. You are also forgetting how questionable some of the so called super rich. I choose honesty and hard work even if I remain half as rich as you.
@MMBtalk- Zambians in the diaspora do not have enough money to make an impact to the economy. It ends there. Well, most of them are actually working in mortuaries, restaurant and the like. The difference is that in the West, people try to make you believe there is dignity in every job just to kill your ambitions.
@Lord voldemort
Not all of us do that. Speaking for myself and other Zambians I have known, I worked in the best Investment Banks in Canary Wharf and the City Square Mile until the recession hit. I went on to work in the worlds leading Music company before swiftly moving into the booming Property Market working as a Lettings Negotiator for UKs Leading Estate Agents. After being given reduced hours I returned to up my qualifications so that I can return home to run my Mothers and Fathers properties. That makes me an owner entitled to Fathers 400hectacre Farm on the prestigious Great East and owner entitled to Mummies 2 wine bars, 3 flats for let and a plot of land from my deceased sister.
@Lord Voldemort
Don’t generalise. I also am a member of not 1 but 2 Royal Zambian Chieftains on both sides of mother and father. That makes me a real Royal unlike your fake title.
I have had some struggles during recession but I am winning. Completing my Masters and returning home to live a better and luxurious life (at least I feel I am entitled to it, now that I spent most of my youth fighting for my own wealth).
I have never cleaned old white grannies bottoms (which is the new abuse by the UK gov’t on foreign immigrants as you rightly suggest). When I started my working life in the UK, I was at top as Computer Systems Manager at Britain’s leading international Hospital for Women And Children.
The current conservative gov’t has denigrated black immigrants.
usually when you hear of someone calling for others to be recalled, it means he/she was to be appointed in the place of those fired.
No sensible contributions from the first bloggers,and such pf cadres call themselves learned.the problem most of these ambassadors,commissioners are cadres and most of them lack clear investment understanding back home,so it’s difficult to sell something they don’t know.
If the Head of State can go to New york only to watch movies in his hotel room at tax payers money what would you expect from the diplomatic appoint by the missing land lord.Moreover they all come from the family forest.
Can Zambians wake up otherwise we shall have a president just earning a salary whilst 90% of his time is confined in the bedroom.
College boy……. You think attracting investment is that cheap? Well think again! The problem with you college chaps is you think dressing in black suit and shinny shoes plus giving a long speech, showing off credentials is a key to convince powerful outsiders to bring business ayini? Well apart from demography, economic and social factors add on natural landscapes and many more given wonders that could speak for the country. If your hard working fellow country men and women could add on à few man made attractions to capture the eyes of your suitors…… That should seal it all instead of pointing fingers and one thing, why dont you guys encourage rich Zambian cuisine to the topic, some “werd fellas” would tour countries just for food! But Zambians awe sure mwe, making noise nating!
what are you trying to say?
make it short next time. lol
Exactly my point! Blogging on LT is So shallow to a point were one wonders! Problem is you chaps think everything has to do With village politics and politicians. Developmental issues are beyond that and persons! All Zambians must be Ambassdors in promoting Zambia. The fact that one has to explain simple things in à zillion words in another thing! Nowonder big brains stopped contributing on here, it’s all left to cadres but à few!
You are trying too hard, its not working.
kabiyo uko.
@Cindy!! Exactly the point I try to drive! Look at the author, how does he believe that it will be diplomats to bring foreigners to enjoy ‘amasuku’ which they pretend to forget when away? Why should you blame govt for sponsoring their limit when hakainde (if he is truly rich) can offer educational loans & develop Zambia? If Bill Gates supports the whole UN, is it congress that made him? People like Dr Kapya Kaoma, Field Ruwe & this pf twart Mushota, upnd’ Wanzelu, they all are good & lousy critique & useless dialogues which do not add value to being Zambian. & They proudly think Sata, HH, Diplomats will kick us out of poverty! Silly!!!!
@ Kakolwe,
Glad to know there are few Zambians with Brains! Sometimes when I read certain Articles and the comments that follow I feel for that country. I can’t seem to understand the brains behind! Surely there is So much creativity, Manpower not to mention the beautiful weather! Dear……. Can you imagine we pay so much just to see utunyelele, butterflies and so many things that are shipped from those countries. We so much water great minds could have erected great water sports empowered citizens into several benefiting international activities. How do private companies give back? Cultural activities is one of them.Zambia has all it needs to be developed what is missing is the brain! One man can single handedly develop the road? What a sorry sight!
The question is” What has this career diplomat done to that effect? Do not waste our time give us solutions not just talking.
We are on record revealing facts that PF diplomats are cadres without required credentials!Just recently,Harry Kalaba appointed one of his many concubines for foreign service mission!Look at Mushota’s analysis and english -it sums it all.Most the District Commissioners serving under PF era are cadres without good education-at least of 50 DCs I know are really pathetically educated.It’s like education qualifications are not considered in PF but BEMBA LANGUAGE and NAMES!This is not a secrect now in Zambia everywhere you go its vividly embranced.This is the DOCHI KUBEBA slogan they championed and it is bearing bitter fruits to NON-BEMBAS.
Diplomats work in confined roles when abroad. There are formalities and I am not sure they can get around those to run investment campaigns! Let’s see…..they can have banquets, Art/home troops performing dance shows, etc to which they invite potential investors. But guess what, it used to be Diplomats got paid late, and never had enough money to run embassies well. Has this changed? We need to support them.
As for each citizen abroad, we can promote our country by painting a good image of our country. However, when we have political unrest in the country and crazies on the internet talking down the country, efforts to paint Zambia as investors ‘heaven’ fail.
We should keep trying eventually we make an impasse.
A few weeks ago, while having a latte in a ‘fancy’ bike shop while looking at some spectacular pictures of Roads being developed in Zambia, I had a moment of epiphany
I thought, “I know, cycling holidays!” So I rocked up and went to chat with the cafe owner who runs cycle holidays in Europe (a growing interest holiday idea).
I showed him the very impressive image of the road, and said, “hey, why not try a route through Zambia?” He looked at the pics and said, “yeah, but those roads are not built well, it’s needs specialist smoothly built roads!” “Those look a bit rough.”
Then I tried to ask if he could suggest how Chipata, which has a lot if bikes due to the old bike factory could turn its tourism around to encourage cycle tours through the scenic mountainous region.
He said we’d need to build good off road dirt tracks, and it could be difficult and costly. So you see…….we diasporas do try.
I always have a good word for Zambia. All my Digital projects promote Zambia. I have designed a website to promote business between Zambians and European ordinary citizens can load up their business promos on either sides that was 2011. This year on my Masters programme, I passed my Web Design Module in which I designed an arts portfolio to promote personal digital works, of course I had lots of links to Zambian tourism beauty spots and culture. My tutor enjoyed them! Hope he comes to Zambia soon on holiday!
We do try!! Am putting together a business plan to promote Zambian food and have designed a Zambian diet recipe book and other great ideas based around Zambian food BUT where can I apply for a loan from Zambian Funds…..at the London embassy they always seem soooooo busy or nonchalant.
The gov’t can do well by providing transparent help to budding business ideas.
We do try!!
@ 1diot Abroad
“Am putting together a business plan to promote Zambian food and have designed a Zambian diet recipe book and other great ideas based around Zambian food BUT where can I apply for a loan from Zambian Funds…..at the London embassy they always seem soooooo busy or nonchalant.”
What are ingredients of “Zambian recipe book”?
1. 250gr. of “90 days” promises;
2. 200gr. of tarmac which was paid for but never built;
3. Handful of coins from our “pocket”;
4. 200gr. of blank pages from “People driven Constitution and
5. 300gr. of solid PF incompetence?
@Libertrade
You must be having a bad day, mouthing everyone off like that. Perhaps you could put your straight/strait jacket on to prevent you doing a pointless spot of cyber bullying and abusive language.
But I have been fair to you and read your comments, from which I gather you are not a friend of Zambia. You are negative and have not put in any helpful comments in response to the article. You seem to have a big head but we really are struggling picking out your intellect since you seem very shy in putting out original thought or ideas in this forum. If you think abusing people is a great debate then you must be a rank and file psycho.
Great debate by who?
I AM TAX PAYER which have invested REAL MONEY to provide couple hundreds jobs (every job well above minimum wage).
Listening to you lot debating issues of investment or luck of it make me realize that you are just like bunch of kids pretending to be grown-ups.
Instead of pretending possession of knowledge and blab about, roll-up your socks and contribute to the REAL job creation. Siting on the fence and pretending to be knowledgeable may be good for your ego, but otherwise, just empty talk.
Something is not right when you start forcing people to come to our home…your own family members would rather live at your neighbours.
Everything is right when people start crowding to come to your home.
May be things will be different in 4023.
Zamfoot website! What is happening kanshi? Some of us are not interested in politics of the belly! Have you changed yo site address?
“…….described prison as a college where people are reformed and learn not to repeat the crime they committed.”
Other prisons, yes, in Zambian prisons prisoners come out more hardened and more determined to exact vengeance on the society that incarcerated them. They come out schooled in vicious and more daring tactics to make money. Usually they come out psychologically damaged(Shamwana), sodomised and afflicted with deadly killer diseases like HIV/AIDS, TB and malnutrition. A prison term in Zambia is a death sentence. Ex-prisoners don’t live long after serving their sentences. Prisoners are treated with extreme brutality and cruelty and just can’t reform.
@Wantanshi
Agree with the aspect on Human Rights Abuse.
I see the need to sentence people to Hard Labour in this day and age. Understand we are a poor nation and crimes have to be severely discouraged.
However, the crowded and unsafe conditions must not be tolerated at all. In fact we should report Zambia for those Human Rights abuses. You can’t have human beings in caged conditions. Saw pictures of men piled in one tiny cell. How on earth can a government operate prisons like that! You might just as well sentence them to death! You kill them psychologically in any case. STOP, STOP THIS ABUSE! We as citizens need to encourage our gov’t to do something urgently. Unacceptable.
Who is going to holiday in a country that treats humans like that?
This is true. Zed Diplomas are just happy to be ‘abroad’. And worst of all, they are not even able to protect Zambians in diaspora. If you go ku embassy ati you have lost a passport, these chaps will accuse u of selling the passport. Can you imagine. Balitumpa sana bafikamba.
This is one area which successive governments have foolishly lamentably failed as people being appointed envoys are just cadres. They only do one job and that is present credentials to host governments and then go to sleep. The zambia institute of diplomacy is also useless as it trains people who can not be appointed as long as they are not cadres, it should also voice out on this. The last point which the guy mentioned about prison being a place to reform can’t be true in Zambia, how can a human being reform in such pathetic conditions. In other countries in Africa, council inspectors have told governments to close prisons and release prisoners if people are living in inhuman conditions as in our case
..title ba LT….career diplomats…ambassadors/high commissioners will always be in diaspora….but the ultimate ‘ambassador’ shall always be the govt of the day. Its policies and creation of enabling and conducive user friendly environment for investors. Tho done in good faith, acts like repossession of Zamtel/Finance bank sends a wrong signal to would be investor….
Generally, the message of ‘Zambians not working’ should not only be restricted to the diplomats but all Zambians especially in govt institutions….
Just wondering what explanation did Permanent Ambassador of the Republic of Zambia accredited to the UN offer to his fellow “Excellencies” about no show of his Boss?
Zambians must stop this mentality of thinking that outside is the only solution to the social and economical hurdles the country is going through. The Zambian govt and banks must provide a conducive environment for young people to become entrepreneurs instead of begging outsiders to come and invest. We must change our approach to this investment issue, we must find other means not just foreign investment! Already foreign investors are reaping us off the mines and we still want more of them to come, sigh!
According to the BoZ and Ministry of Finance, Bank lending rates of 30% on secured Loans are right incentive to “jump-start” local investment and create hundreds of thousands new jobs!!!
We don’t have diplomats. What we have are cadres, relatives and friends sent out. Ministry of foreign affairs is not helping, why train people at ZIDIS who can’t be appointed. On Zambian prisons being reform centers, it can’t be true. The prisons in Zambia are not fit to keep human beings but pigs, in other countries councils even close prisons and order governments to improve the status qou if they have to keep people in those disease infested places
…hang on, I’m just from reading a contradictory article from UNCTAD right on this LT site….it talks about Zambia being the highest in foreign investment inflow among landlocked countries in Africa….which means out diplomats are doing a damn good job….
Yeah, but they head here because they have heard its a ‘Muggins’ country. They can rob us blind as our gov’t is opening doors too wide and not thought through how we can Reap from our own resources instead of begging investors to improve our country for us. To some extent our gov’t is fast going out of control with these investor projects. They replace their duty to run our economic growth by placing this duty on investors.
THE TITLE IS MISLEADING. DIASPORA REFERS TO IMMIGRANTS, NOT TO A TOUR OF DUTY. AMBASSADORS/HIGHCOMMISSIONERS/DIPLOMATS ARE NOT DIASPORANS. THEY ARE TEMPORARILY ABROAD ON DUTY. THEY HAVE BEEN SENT TO WORK THERE, NOT MOVED TO LIVE THERE.
You are right, they have been sent to work there, unfortunately they think that working is a bad attitude.
Better spending time enjoying the life and the benefits which are paid for by 5tupid taxpayers home.
How can we attract investors when all the hear and read about Zambia is corruption? Maybe if you people on the ground “in Zambia” can clean up, then we can do our part from this end.
I refuse to spend my time and money on corrupt chaps in Zambia, who by the way are the majority.
Your description of prison as “a college where people are reformed and learn not to repeat the crime they committed” is so far removed from reality in our country today. Wishful thinking at best.
This is what you get when you put relatives, tribesmen and use connections in Zambian embassies.
I have mentioned before. Zambia is too poor a country to have useless embassies in these countries. We probably only need about 7 embassies one in each continent
Bunch of retards on this blog … i won’t mention names
This is a very serious matter and one I must agree with Mr Kamalo. I’ve been to the Zambian embassy in London, and what a sorry site it was during the days of Rupiah and I don’t think much has changed even today quite sadly. I put the blame squarely on the MMD inherited foreign service civil servants that the PF govt are still using in these missions. The only solution is to fire all of them and appoint young mature non-partisan graduates from the relevant institutions.
At least PF compulsionists got this one correct on average.Mushota and 2020visionless thank you for using your unscrewed grey matter mirraculously correct!Thank you once more keep it up.
I wonder why the only family tree you colleagues talk anf complain about is the one HE Sata. what about the ones under HE Levy.and RB. i have a comprehensive list of all key positions under the three Presidents ifinterested we can share and judge for yourselves who is more tribal amlng the three leaderz