Thursday, July 30, 2009

Investment Opportunities...Empowerment & Youths






Investment Opportunities



Zambia is endowed with abundance of natural resources - minerals, arable land, rivers, forests, water falls, lakes and wildlife - and with the country sufficiently underdeveloped it offers potential and profitable openings for investors. With total surface area of about 752,600 square km and mean altitude rising around 1200m above sea level, Zambia enjoys sub-tropical vegetation and climatic conditions. With high literacy rate for adults - approximately 83.5% for males and 65.5% for females- as well as two state run Universities, two University Colleges and additional institutions of higher learning, both skilled and semi-skilled workers, trained professionals and technicians are available at very competitive rates. Its central geographical location within South Central Africa with common borders to eight countries in the region provides excellent export market opportunities to potential enterprises. Zambia has abundance of electric power and is a net exporter in the region. Though landlocked its Road, Rail and Telecommunication facilities are reasonably well developed for direct access to regional and international markets. Zambia’s active participation in 14 regional countries Southern African Development Community (SADC) Trade Protocol as well as the Africa wide 20 Countries Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) offers preferential tariff access to total market potential of nearly 380 million people. Similarly, with advent of Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) duty free access to the huge USA market has become a reality. Zambia is also signatory to the Cotonou Agreement, which aims to achieve free trade arrangements between the E U and the A C P regional groupings. Sector OpportunitiesPrime growth sectors for investment are Manufacturing, Agriculture and Agro-processing, Tourism, and Mining. Others offering potential investment opportunities include Construction, Transportation, Energy, Telecommunication and IT Services.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing sector accounts for nearly 11 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and has been consistently growing. The sector is one of the most attractive sectors for investment as it has all the vital required elements in place such as raw materials, required labour force, abundant land and a good banking and financial system. Measures have been put in place to support growth within the sector including the creation of Multi-Facility Economic Zones (MFEZs), credit provision and industrial skills training. However, the sector needs diversification to produce wide variety of high quality value added intermediate and final products principally for the export markets. Potential areas of investment include cement production, textiles and clothing apparels, agro-processing, processed and refined foods, leather products, wood processing, plastics, vehicle parts and assembly, chemicals, refining of petroleum, and metal and engineering works. There is exemption on customs duty on the importation of most capital machinery and equipment used for manufacturing while many other incentives exist for the sector.

Agriculture
Zambia has vast agricultural resource endowment. Arable land is plentiful for large-scale modern farming. Government has allocated vast tracks of land near rail and road networks for prospective investors and electrification of these blocks is on-going. Surface and underground water is in abundance. Climatic conditions are ideally suited for wide variety of exportable crops including horticulture and floriculture. Agro-processing of wheat, soyabean, cotton, tobacco, spices, sugar and vegetables is encouraged to add value to local produce. Special incentives are offered to commercial and small-holder farmers. Presently, the Agriculture sector accounts for approximately 15 percent of the country’s GDP. Mining Zambia has enormous reserves of Copper-Cobalt ore and the country is the fourth largest producer of copper metal. Gold, Nickel, Lead-Zinc, Iron and Manganese are also mined. In addition Zambia is endowed with very high quality of Gemstones - Emerald, Amethyst, Aquamarine, Rubies, Garnets, and Diamonds - which are still unexploited. With the privatisation of the mining sector, potential opportunities have become very attractive.
Tourism
Potential of Zambia as one-stop destination offers excellent prospects for advancement of this highly under-developed sector. With 19 National Parks, 23 Game Management Areas, largest Water Fall in the world, and 23 million hectares devoted to the conservation of spectacular variety of animals, the scope for an integrated quality tourism related investment is very attractive. Wildlife such as Elephant, Leopard, Lion, Cheetah, Rhinoceros, Zebra, Giraffe, Hippopotamus, Crocodile, Buffalo, Impala, Antelope, Baboon and host of smaller creatures as well as over 700 species of Birds can be seen. Opportunities to promote adventure holidays -white-water rafting, canoeing, rock-climbing, hand-gliding, fishing, bungi-jumping at Victoria Falls including its unique walking safaris offer excellent tourism potential.
Energy
Zambia has abundance of energy resources. The most important source of energy is electricity, which is generated by three major hydroelectric power stations. Other endowments in Zambia’s energy sector include coal, woodlands and forests as well as other renewable energy forms such as solar and wind. Zambia has as estimated hydropower capacity of 6,000MW, of which only about 1,640 MW has so far been installed. This represents only 30 percent of the total capacity. Hydroelectric plants account for 92 percent of the total installed capacity and 99 percent of the total electricity generated in the country. So far there are only two important inter-connectors to Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) which are the most important electricity export grids. With the liberalisation of the economy, Government has amended legislation affecting generation, transmission, distribution and supply of electricity thus allowing private sector entry. Potential opportunities identified are Kafue Gorge Lower HydroElectric Project, Itezhi-tezhi HydroElectric Project, Zambia-Tanzania Interconnector and Zambia-Namibia Interconnector. Exploration potential for hydrocarbons (oil and gas) is one area that has not been tapped fully - hydrocarbon source rocks are proven and are preserved in all basinal areas of Zambia. Government welcomes active participation from prospective investors with modern technological expertise. Zambia’s economy has been rapidly growing in the past 5 years and has experienced a power deficit. As such investors are invited to invest in power generation projects. Opportunities for investment exist in electricity generation and transmission projects. In an effort to resolve the power deficit and ensure security and reliability of supply, Zambia is pursuing the development of transmission inter-connectors with neighbouring countries. One such project is the Zambia-Tanzania-Kenya power inter-connector. Other investment opportunities in electricity transmission include Zambia-Malawi inter-connector; Zambia-DRC inter-connector; Solwezi-Kolwezi inter-connector; and upgrading of large and small hydro projects.Investment opportunities also exist in the exploration and production of petroleum resources; coal exploration and mining; and development of renewable energy sources which are supported by the National Energy Policy.

Physical Infrastructure
Potential investment opportunities in physical infrastructure such as housing, roads, and communications abound. The construction sector in Zambia is rapidly growing mainly due to construction of residential housing, investments in the mines, road construction and other civil works. The country also has a very robust Road Sector Investment Program (ROADSIP) in which both local and international road construction companies participate although emphasis is on quality. The country is also looking for serious investors to venture into the air transport industry to support the ever growing tourism sector and increased commercial activities.
Others
Others sectors offering potential investment opportunities include Construction, Transportation, Human Resources, Telecommunication and IT Services. Development, improvement and modernisation of Zambia’s Road Transport, Railway, Inland Waterway Transport and Telecommunication network as well as Commercial properties to meet high quality international business and consumer requirements are areas that should offer profitable opportunities for both domestic and foreign entrepreneurs to pursue. Knowledge-based business institutions to improve and enhance the quality and diversity of Zambian and Regional workforce and management to achieve international standards also offer exciting investment opportunities. Similarly, private sector enterprises with expertise in environmental protection and natural resource management capacity building and training would find Zambia an attractive location to invest to meet both domestic and regional market potentials.

Trade
Since the early 1990s, Zambia has pursued market oriented policies, with the country becoming increasingly integrated in the global economy. This has been done through the privatisation of state enterprises, removal of unnecessary controls, deregulation of interest and foreign exchange rates, reduction of tariffs, strengthening of the financial sector, and reforms on policies of repatriation of tax profits, dividends and capital. Zambia’s economy is on track and has been expanding since 2002. The government’s target is to reach a seven percent annual economic growth rate and to reduce inflation down to seven percent. The government has deliberate ongoing processes of improving the investment climate for doing business and promotion of exports.

Barriers to trade have been substantially reduced, export licences are mere a formality, while import controls are maintained solely for statistical purposes. The main trade policy instrument is done through customs duties, which have even been reduced to support private sector growth and export competitiveness. In addition, a number of incentives have been introduced to develop export industries. The Zambia Revenue Authority is responsible for the administration of customs duties while commercial banks issue export and import licences. Although the country’s main exports remain metals and minerals, particularly copper and cobalt, emphasis is also on non-traditional exports such as vegetables, flowers, cotton, tobacco, cement and textiles. Major imports include crude oil, mining equipment, machinery, iron steel, vehicles, and transport equipment.Zambia’s export market is buoyed by the country’s membership in regional organisations such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). Zambia’s participation in international trade has also boosted the country’s competitiveness in global trade. Currently the European Union countries, China, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, India, Japan and the USA remain Zambia’s major trading partners. Although Zambia is a landlocked country, it has easy access to the sea ports of Durban in South Africa, Dar-es-salaam in Tanzania and Walvis Bay in Namibia.

Positive Thinking...Hope...& Youths.

The ‘Warrior Princess’ who won’t lay down her crown
DINE with some of the most powerful and influential people on the planet. Jet around the globe, speak at Bishop TD Jakes’ mega church, share a bench with Senator Barack Obama; get a kiss on both cheeks from President George Bush and a warm hug from Hillary Clinton. Share a platform with Hillary Benn at the House of Commons. Give interviews to the world's leading newspapers and have your face splashed in popular publications like Ebony; talk to students at some famous universities.Turn some heads – many heads – with a voluptuous figure and a gorgeous, childlike face, then make a lasting impression with a charming personality and a witty sense of humour.

And then, walk down the aisle with the man of your dreams…What more could a girl ask for? And not just any girl, but one with a past fraught with heart-rending events that would consign the future of any child to a forgotten past.Her story would make Cinderella turn green with envy.

I mean, who would have thought a young orphan girl from Chibombo who dropped out of school at 14, got married at 17 and got infected with HIV could one day live up to her name – Princess. I first met Princess Kasune Zulu in August 2005 and listened to her sad story of how, as a little girl, she witnessed the deaths of her mother and father – both to HIV/AIDS. And how she was forced to marry a man 23 years her senior after falling pregnant.

She narrated her story, not amidst sobs, but bursts of laughter and if there was any sadness in her, then it never registered on her benign face.In the end, it was not her sad story that struck me, but her courage to live through such a horrid experience and still find something to laugh about.Four years had past since that first meeting and when I met Princess again a week ago, pretty much nothing had changed about her. She still has a glow in her skin and a twinkle in her eyes. What more, she is still a happy-go-lucky girl with a high-pitched girlish laughter and an infectious smile. And she is still immensely good company.

Meeting on the eve of her first wedding anniversary last Sunday, Princess, who is visiting the country with her two daughters – appropriately christened Joy and Hope - shared her thoughts on her marriage, faith and hope. And so what has kept her going?"I think for me first of all, I want to come out as a person who has hope because I think, Christian or not, if you don't have hope, you're dead. Hope changes everything. Hope makes you wake up and say, I'm going to face the day. Hope makes you say, I can dream," she says."And I think I was just created a very bubbly person. I'm a very joyful person.

I try to find something to laugh about, even to laugh about myself sometimes. And I think that has kept me going. Even when something is so hard, instead of crying... don't get me wrong, I can really cry as well the same way I laugh. I can really cry, especially when things disturb me. Especially things like the poverty levels of Africa and my country, in my own village in Chibombo. Those things make me cry.""But I have found that laughing gives me a healing that I cannot explain, but I also feel that it is just a personality that I've always had, which is full of joy, full of excitement. I always want to find life beyond challenges and hope beyond the difficulties. That has always been my way of looking at life, but ultimately my strength comes from the Lord.

I find my strength in living positively, but ultimately I think it is having hope in this unseen God and knowing that, you know what, I may not understand many things, I may not even know what the future holds, but I can thank God for today and be joyful about it and also try to make someone else’s life better. In so doing, I have found that in a way I have reaped back what I have sowed.""Sometimes people used to mistake my joy... They used to say, you're sending a wrong message; you're positive, your parents have died and yet you're still joyful and excited, are you not sending a wrong message about being HIV-positive that all things are rosy?"But that is not true. I think that what I'm trying to say is that we can all rise against our challenges and be the best of what we have been given in life.”

"And as hard as my life has been, I want to believe that some people have had it rougher than this, and I want to be a source of encouragement, a source of joy to those that have had it the hardest. And also to those that have had it lighter than me, I want them to look up to me and say, ‘if she can do it, I can also do it'," she says.


Hand of God
A firm believer in God and divine healing and a student of divinity - she is pursuing a masters in theology - Princess still insists on testing and taking the right drugs for those who are positive."Here's the thing, I believe in the Lord that heals all diseases. He says, 'I'm Jehovah Rapha - the Lord that healeth thee'. So I'm a firm believer in divine healing, don't get me wrong. But I believe that when God healed a person, when he was lame, he walked; if he was blind, he saw. So, why not go and do an HIV test if you have been healed? It will come out negative. That is all I'm saying. So if you have been miraculously healed, praise God. You test and come out HIV negative."But for me just to believe and not to go back to do the test, that is not right. I know that many people use the scripture that says 'whose report are you going to believe'. Is it the Lord's or the doctor's?'
But God can also work a miracle through these drugs." "And one of the things that I've always tried to be deliberate with, is to try and not to use my Christianity as something that would even put people off. Being Christian is not what comes first out of me, even though it is always my hidden agenda that somehow someone will come to the Lord, but I also don't want that to be a put-off for many people. I think that sometimes you find that as Christians we haven't led a good example and sometimes we have even misled people in one way or the other."I'm on ARVs.

Now I take Truvada and Nevirapine. When I started taking my ARVs my CD4 count had dropped to 92. That was a very low CD4 count and I could have experienced some kind of disease at least to show, but nothing to this day. The ARVs have worked so well,” she says."For me I feel like there is an unseen hand of God in my situation. I want to say that a combination of your faith plus medication and positive living, having a positive attitude, like the prayer of serenity which the Catholics use so much, 'Lord help me to change the things that I can change and to accept the things that I cannot change'. This to me has worked.

It has to be holistic. I can't just be positive and not take my medication and I can't just take my medication and forget God.” She encourages people - not only those who are positive - to have a positive attitude about life."I think sometimes we reduce it to only people living with HIV/AIDS, but I think positive living is something that everyone should embrace on a daily basis - with or without HIV/AIDS. And for me I think positive living means that I will take the opportunities that come every day and use them to the maximum.

And I will also take the challenges that come my day and say this is what has happened. What do I do?" she says. But how does she feel when she sees someone dying of AIDS? "I will tell you what, and God is my witness. At no time have I felt pity for myself. Because it is very human to feel like oh, that is where I'm headed to as well. "But if that situation ever happened,” she hesitates, and for the first time during the interview she wears a pensive look. “I pray that I will be the most joyous person. I pray that people who will come to my bed will say, 'there's something different about this lady.’ Something supernatural that they will want to know the living God that I know. That is my prayer.”
If I had meant that question to dampen her spirits, then I don't think I succeeded. And so I drop another 'bombshell' - or so I thought.
How long do you think you have to live?
"Ninety-two!” she says excitedly without hesitation. “I'm 33. I want to reach ninety-two years. That is my golden number. I've told myself that ninety-two years, Lord. I want to see my children finish school. I want to be there on their graduation. I want to see them start dating and walk them through that delicate part of life. I want their boyfriends to come home so I can check them out, you know."She is a doting mother to her daughters, now 14 and 15. She also takes care of eight adopted children.
Marriage
Princess met her husband, David Schoefrnacker, 35, in December 2005 at Moody Bible School in the US, and started dating right away.“I didn't know he was going to be my husband then, but for him I think it was love at first sight."That first day we went out for tea and we came back and he said, ‘will I see you again?’, and he never stopped coming to see me, and I knew that this man was serious. "Then I said, wait a minute, I think this guy doesn't know that I'm a mother of two biological children and I'm on my way adopting four children, and I'm going to adopt another one, cause I've always wanted ten children. And, I don't think he knew my HIV status," she says."He had been proposing for a long time. That very year he proposed and I said 'no'. But he kept on proposing."And so she removed the 'veil' with the hope of discouraging her date from making further advances."So I gave him the magazines that had my story and let him alone. I didn't know how to break it to him.

It is very easy for me to tell other people - I meet people on the plane and I easily tell them my status. What I thought was that when I told him I was HIV-positive, he would just go. Then I just heard someone crying and he was red everywhere," she recalls.His response was not what she expected.He said to me: "Princess, this breaks my heart. But I also know that you're trying to say something to me that... 'goodbye'. But I want to tell you that if you had asked me two days ago if I would fall in love with someone who is HIV-positive, my answer would be no. But I didn't fall in love with you because of your status. I fell in love with you, with your personality."
And so began their love story.
"He never pushed me beyond our barriers, he is a man and I dated him for about two years six months and every time he told me, 'Princess I pray that one day we will be together'.On July 19, 2008, the couple were married by Bishop Horace E Smith of the Apostolic Faith Church in Chicago."I love my husband so much.

In a way, I have grown to even love him more because of his love for me and just how he has shown his commitment. "He has just proved to be the most precious gift I could ever have, and I'm excited. Our love keeps blossoming," she says.Although she did not face opposition to her marriage in her community in the US, she did not know what to expect from David's mother, who only knew about her status a few days before the wedding.“David decided not to tell his mother about my status and so I prayed that one day she would somehow just Google my name and discover on her own,” she says.

Well, she did, but her response was not what the bride-princess expected. “Well, if she can take care of herself, she can live long. I see people who die of obesity in the US,” she said.Princess now speaks highly of her mother-in-law.

Beauty that opens doors.
Apart from possessing a lovable character, Princess has mastered her beauty like the biblical Esther, and has used it to stand in places others can only imagine or dream.She is beautiful, and she knows it. "I'm fearfully made in the image of God," she says."I believe there is nothing wrong with one acknowledging their beauty. You can be beautiful and not know it and you will not look as beautiful. But if you are beautiful and you know it, use it to benefit others, not to destroy yourself... When I didn't know the Lord, I made wrong decisions which ended up affecting my body and that is what happens with many young people,” she says.“Fathers need to emphasise to their children, 'you're beautiful, you're wonderful...’ Hug them, take them out and spend time with them so that they can know that their beauty is not for other guys to touch, but that it's beautiful for them to beautiful.” "True beauty opens doors for you. It is so true. We see it in the Bible; I see it when I enter a room,” she says.
Ordinary girl
But despite now living a life befitting a real princess, Princess has chosen to still be ordinary."I try to live as ordinary as possible, even with all the opportunities the Lord has brought my way, and it blesses my heart when people say, 'wow Princess, you haven’t changed’. Well, of course most of the things that I needed to change on, I have changed. But I'm sure what they're trying to say is that I haven't become sophisticated for nothing," she says. And, well, you can take a girl out of Chibombo, but you can't take Chibombo out of a girl. “I want to be remembered as a village girl,” she says with certitude. "A village girl to whom extraordinary opportunities happened, but who never forgot who she was and where she came from.”“And for my children, that they may know that they had a woman of God; a woman of faith; a woman who would find her strength in prayer and worship and who was concerned about the plight of those around her."And of course a woman of joy and laughter," she adds and bursts into her characteristic laughter."I have lived this life, made a mark, made an impression on someone - even if it just meant one person, I know that I will have made a difference in this world when I'm gone.""I love my life. Life's good,” she says as she prepares to leave the table.Ninety-two years is a long, long way off for both of us, and if we both live that long I would like to meet the Warrior Princess, again.
* Princess' book Warrior Princess will be out this November
The Author of this story is a Jack Zimba (Post Newspaper)
Thank you Jack, your story gets me going.