Understanding Horse Shoe Restaurant workers via Stockholm Syndrome lenses

By Clive Mutame Siachiyako

The Human Rights Commission (HRC) was at pains grasping Horse Shoe Restaurant [Lusaka] workers’ statements on MUVI TV. The workers questioned the Commission’s findings on their abuse and racism. They stood by their employer. They scorned those trying to ‘fight’ their battle and praised those who spoke favorable of the restaurant. They sounded ‘romantically’ bonded with their employer. That put those who tried to speak for them in a limbo.

What the workers did fits well into the STOCKHOLM SYNDROME. The Stockholm syndrome is like telling an abused spouse to report the matter to police and s/he tells relatives and others that you’re trying to destroy their marriage. They make you look the bad one, a noisy one and overstepping it as s/he is happily married. It’s a bad experience and draining to those intervening.

Simply put, the Stockholm syndrome is where a bond is created between the abused and abuser. The name comes from the bank robbery in Stockholm in 1973. During the robbery, four employees of the Swedish Bank were held captives for six days. When the robbery was botched, the captives felt the bank robbers were CARING, NICE and PROTECTING them from the police that wanted to attack the bank building. They did interviews with different media houses praising the robbers (see www.britannica.com). 

One of the women went further to develop a LEGAL DEFENSE FUND [criminal defense fees] for one of the robbers. She even ENGAGED him. Another example is when a kidnaped wealth newspaper heiress in California helped the kidnappers rob a bank after her hostage. The other is about the capture of three Lebanese from 1985-91 by Islamic militants. The captives when rescued were all over saying they were WELL TREATED although they were chained, and confined in solitary in unclean cells (http://counsellingresource.com).

The Stockholm syndrome is mind game characterized by threats, taunts, scolds, or disparaging remarks to subdue the other person. And ONE ‘NICE’ thing the abuser does to the abused may make them ‘die’ with them. For instance, giving them a meal after all the ordeals will make them feel cared for. Or an additional K100 pay to help calm down public outrage will do. The abuser doesn’t have to do much to win their hearts.

The bond is initially created when the abuser threatens to kill, fire, or harm the abused. But the moment their life is spared or their job assured [e.g. via contract renewal]; that removal is transposed into feelings gratitude towards the oppressor. It’s like you forget about your rights, your worth or laws that protects you. You feel the oppressor is your all.

The HRC thus shouldn’t despair. It’s common for the mistreated to stand for those who mistreat them. Such psychological reactions resulting INCONGRUOUSLY BOND and identifying with abuser and abiding by their agenda and demands are widespread. They happen in marriages, relationships, workplaces, schools and homes. In love terms, you hear the abused spouse saying “whatever the case, I still love him/her; it sounds silly but I want him/her back; s/he has a new boy/girlfriend but I am jealous; etc.”

To others it may seem crazy, senseless, unreasonable, etc. But to those in such situations, they are conditioned. They may get angry with those calling for justice to be done on their issue, they may help the person invade justice or stand in their defense in court, and other myriads of public relations. They can go at length to win public confidence in their abusers for minor favors.

Often three conditions are in place under the Stockholm syndrome. These are asymmetrical power relations; threats; and defenselessness feelings. When there’s uneven power, the powerful one enjoys the jolly ride. S/he commands what happens. You don’t do things as co-managers of a situation. You are simply an implementing tool. S/he does the thinking and authorizes what gets done.

Threats verbally or physical are often used to instill fear and defenselessness in the abused. “You can’t go anywhere. You are nothing without me. You know that I can just make a call and your issue will be thrown out wherever you take it?” Such phrases are typically used. Worse ones are used too. At the end, the oppressed person feels ‘chained’ and obey. When told to go sing praises for the abuser; they will do it with a straight face. When it’s time work 24/7 without additional pay; it will be jokes aside.

Summatively, it’s not the wish of the workers of Horse Shoe to do what we saw on MUVI TV. It’s beyond them. They need our help. The same way we don’t give up on abused spouses the moment they report us to their abusers when we tell them to take the matter to police or court; we have to help others stand out and get the fair deal of life. We shouldn’t mock them nor say it’s their baby to nurse. Psychological defeats have far reaching implications on the victim.

 If you asked those workers, they don’t know what they were saying. One of the workers asked viewers if “they looked abused.” Abuse can in hidden. But that doesn’t mean it’s not happening. We have people dying whilst telling us “THEY ARE HAPPILY MARRIED” until their spouse kills them or they kill them in self-defense. Victims of Stockholm syndrome easily become CONDITIONED TO THE SITUATION due to the emotional intensity of the ordeal.

Those who worship with them, those who live with them, those in love relationships with them and anyone who can reach them either on social media or other platforms; offer a hand to help Stockholm syndrome victims come out of their ordeal. In some cases, the victims become sadists, hurtful, fail to love, fail to appreciate those who are genuinely caring to them and develop ‘love for chains that bind them.’ Psychological conditions are mentally destructive. They call for patience to help the victim heal and walk with their head high. Tomorrow it could be you. 

Trumphobia: why this phobia?

By Clive Mutame Siachiyako

The election of Donald Trump is totally contrary to that of Barack Obama in 2008. There was somewhat global excitement to have Obama in the White House. Almost 8 years down the line the opposite is the case. The world is too unsure of what to expect to the billionaire US President elect.

When the voting pendulum started showing Trump winning against Hillary, anxiety gripped investors and market shares plummeted badly. World leaders received his win with mixed feelings. Their congratulatory messages carried different underlying tones. Some added cautions e.g. Chinese Leader said “I hope the US-China relations won’t be confrontational.” Why such a phobia about Trump? Why is the world scared of him?

There are many reasons why uncertainty is hitting hard on many people. They are uncertain about key decisions in trade, immigration, nuclear power, war, etc. Few saw Trump’s winning coming. Pollsters 24 hours before elections were placing Hillary Clinton on the front and ultimate winner of the polls. Media coverage gave Hillary serious leverage. But Trump’s geo-political, trade, immigrants, nuclear, and other foreign policy message are a scary bunch. It is not clear what will become of the words he uttered during campaigns on a number of issues that cut across US, EU, Asia, Africa, climate change and immigration.

The Trump brand that emerged during the run-up to November 8 2016 elections was not an inspiring one to some people and it was bloodcurdling. It was however appealing to American voters, mostly the middle class [many commentators suggested]. What did they middle class see than others never saw? Trump had a populist message that sat well with them. He had a message about their jobs he felt immigrants were grabbing. He had a message about trade skewedness that disadvantaged US. He connected well with them in his messages. How that will turn out in reality is on the waiting list.

Trump was more aggressive on many issues during campaigns for many people’s liking. He was bashful and tore the opponent with strong words. He had few kind words for other countries US trades with in raw and finished products, oil, gas and human capital. On Mexicans he was blunt to tell them “they don’t send experts to US, but drug dealers, criminals and rapists.”

He made strong statements against Africans and their leaders. In some media collections, it was reported he called Africans “lazy, good at sex and theft.” That doesn’t seem to settle well when you hear such a man is winning an election and as an African leader you have to rub shoulders in some way. Such anxiety creates Trumphobia that cuts across sectors of life including economic and social.

People have serious reasons to worry about Trump. He was so loose in his messages. He rarely applied diplomatic undertones in his messages even when talking about international issues. People are now scratching their heads what really to expect from his administration. It is not clear whether most of the statements were mere campaign rhetoric or they will be made reality. If most of the things Trump said during campaigns become true, the world will have tough time with him.

There’s uncertainty on what policies Trump will put in place on investment, fiscal, structural base policy and trade; all of which have a telling on how other countries will fit in. All these uncertainties need healing locally and abroad. They need reassurance to actors in the economy to help things manifest favourably to US and other countries in different areas.

The world is also watching on the kind of team is going to come up with. Whether that team has the capacity to quickly bring hope to many who are so badly worried about Trump elections is also not clear. Too many questions seeking answers indeed.

A lot of hurt and divisions were created by the style of campaign exhibited in US. Very strong language, accusations and threats of arrests or changing systems were made. If you were an investor and you hear such words, where would you put your money and place your money? It is scary keeping the money in US most investors intimated. Financial markets reflected that anxiety in market share fall immediately it came apparent that Trump was winning.

Trump was more protectionist. Wanting US to be in “front” in all trade engagements. From UK, to EU to Asia and Africa; US engagement he preferred them to favour US. That approach is discomforting to other world leaders looking the number of trade, nuclear, and other agreements in existence. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel said “the fear rhetoric was not welcome.” Most leaders were caught off guard with Trump winning. Brexit wasn’t a warning enough that things can go the Trump way rather than Hillary wise.

On climate change, he called it a “hoax” and he pledged to pull out of some Paris agreements the US committed itself. That will be a very sad move on climate change gains made so far. If only his advisors would help him relook and reconsider such actions, the world will be a better place than taking us several steps backward in climate change.

Breaking down some of the issues like immigration, trade agreements [e.g. AGOA - African Growth Opportunity Act], nuclear power cues, ISS handling, war in Syria, siding with Russia on some issues etc. What do we expect from this man? Pragmatic or diplomatic Trump?

Anti-immigration was his other election campaign pledge. He emphasised that a wall will be built between US and Mexico and Mexicans will pay for it. In his bashful tone, he called most Mexicans getting into US as “drug addicts, rapes and criminals.” Such people should be kept off US soil thanks to the wall to be built.

He further made statements on getting oil from Middle East, changing ties with China because China is stealing jobs from US. China to him is a free-rider that benefited hugely from agreements with US. He preached an anti-globalisation. The isolationist moves by Trump will have many negative impacts on US and trading partners.  Countries are interdependent on each other in so many ways. US can’t walk the journey solo.

On changing trade agreements changes, Canada is the most worried. It is one of the biggest trade partners, so the anxiety is very genuine. The situation got worse that the Canadian website servicing immigrants crushed as it became apparent that Trump was winning.

Trump outrageous statements are causing serious phobia, tension, fear and anxiety that might cost countries trade, business and investment opportunities. Once in Zambia our late President cut anyhow, threated investors, made sweeping statements on “infesters” [investors] and we saw people packing to leave after he won. Construction projects managed by foreigners were put to a hold. People were sitting on one bum in readiness to vacate.

People don’t know what to expect from Trump. His team has a lot to do to ease people’s nerves. To calm worries of investors and make America an admirable place to do business, pursue academic excellence and other things. If a new take is picked on to breath confidence in people, things may turn sour for the world since US has too much influence on what happens in other countries from trade to nuclear power.

The good hope is that some statements e.g. on Muslims being banned from entering US are reported to be disappearing from the Trump Website. It could be that most of his rhetoric was mere campaign gimmicks to attract voters and win their hearts.

Aspiring to lead a nation requires care in terms of what we say. Our words have far reaching effects within and beyond borders. Even when the political environment is too tense to practice sober politics, it is important to remain a cool head as possible to avoid shocks to our economic, market shares, investor confidence and other socio-economic systems we need to realise our pledges to electorates. 

Hybrid Skills: A shift in the Recruitment Landscape

By Clive Mutame Siachiyako

In what others summed as “death of the degreed world,” Enerst & Young recently announced that it will no longer consider degrees when assessing employees in preference to hybrid skills over academic credentials. Precisely, the industry is looking for someone who can view opportunities, challenges, and problems through multiple perspectives. In short, it is looking for the hybrid employee to fill the growing demand for hybrid jobs.

Hybrid jobs are accordingly among the fastest growing and best careers in today’s job market; leading to more than 250,000 position openings in the last year alone. Probably if you have looked for a new job lately, you could have noticed what is happening in the job market: being good at just one thing is no longer enough.

Whereas in the past a specialised skillset could land you your dream job, today’s employers are looking for more. They are looking for multi-faceted and multi-skilled employees that can combine technical skills such as programming or presentation savvy with “offline skills” such as analysis, design, communication, or marketing.

Enerst & Young hopes that the new recruitment setting would “open up opportunities for talented individuals regardless of their background and provide greater access to the profession.” The company said it had made the decision to change the application rules for its graduate, undergraduate and school-leaver programmes after an independent study rated its in-house assessment programme and numeracy tests as “a robust and reliable indicator of a candidate’s potential to succeed”.

The shift adds fever to training providers and job seekers. Questions on what has gone wrong, what should be done and how can graduates be remade relevant to the industry are on a buildup. Job seekers are scratching their heads on why they cannot grab their dream jobs, the education system worrying about means to narrow the mismatch gap while the industry wants things to happen to sustain economies viably. Some universities have welcomed the shift as they see it a ‘reminder’ that training of yesterday and today needs apt position tomorrows’ industry requirements.

So if you are looking for your dream job; one that can challenge and inspire you, then it is time to get your hybrid skills on. Pick and harness new skills from an array be it in technical, vocational education and training, social entrepreneurship, or information technology windows for your upturn in the industry.

But first, what is a hybrid job?

A hybrid job is one that requires many skills and roles, such as technology and people skills, to effectively get the job done. According to a 2016 Bentley report, for many industries, specialty skills that were once separate from each other, and jobs that two or even three people in different departments used to do, are now being combined into one role. For example, one of the most in-demand professions today, Product Management, is the ultimate hybrid job, requiring product, technology and business skills. The same is true for Growth Hacking, Community Management, and other in-demand positions. Green jobs equally have a plethora of skills requisites that can place you well in the industry.

In addition, the report shows that some previously popular jobs are in decline as their once-innovative skills have become mainstream and integrated into other roles. For example, postings for social media strategists have fallen 64 percent in the last five years, even as the skill of social media strategy has risen sharply in human resource jobs (up 376 percent), sales jobs (up 150 percent), and marketing and public relations jobs (up 117 percent).

Whereas there is a need to get the young population skilled and ready for employment as soon as possible; a concern emerges: are those skills necessarily academic? With all industries experiencing some form of disruption, hybrid skills are becoming a premium driver. Digitisation for instance continues to collapse the traditional value chain of each industry. As a result, the operating systems and business models of companies are changing rapidly out of necessity.  As these companies pivot and adapt their business models, it has become clear that completely different skills sets are now required to run these new, agile businesses. Job seekers too have to gear-up and get counted by up-skilling for value.

And what are hybrid skills good for?

In today’s world, job security does not come from relying only on your boss to tell you what you need to do. Job security comes from knowing yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, and especially the skills that will give you the added value to get and stay ahead of the game.

Therefore, building a hybrid skillset is so important because these skills can potentially offer more job security. Acquiring diverse skills enables you to be versatile enough to embrace change and new challenges. This kind of professional flexibility results in a worker getting more opportunities in a constantly changing job environment. Moreover, building up your hybrid skills enables you make more deliberate and mindful decisions about your professional life.

We all know by now that millennials are looking for jobs that bring them meaning – more than 50% of millennials say they would take a pay cut to find work that matches their values, while 90% want to use their skills for good. By developing the right skills you can position yourself at an advantageous place to get those meaningful jobs.

Realistically, even though you have a job right now, it does not mean it is going to look the same 10 years from now. Even more importantly, developing more well-rounded skillset brings you value. You can look at problems more creatively and communicate and collaborate more effectively with diverse teams. And filling multiple roles can help you ward off boredom – more skills usually mean more interesting and varied tasks to accomplish. Indeed, one of the key denominators across people who innovate and stand out is that they take the time to cultivate multiple skills.

Recruiters have long complained that degree scores fail to give employers a true picture of a candidate’s potential. What Enerst & Young is pre-empting thus is the widening skills gap that digitised or disrupted businesses now need to fill. Disrupted businesses have complex problems to solve and that requires hybrid skills with an emphasis on soft skills: communication, leadership, ownership and teamwork. The most needed, but also the most lacking, are critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Academic qualifications do not necessarily produce these skills.

So, why are degrees being valued less?

Firstly, in terms of scarcity, degrees have become more common, therefore less valuable in economic terms. Secondly, degrees cost more today, but are worth less. Debt repayments [for education loans] versus future income simply do not add up. Thirdly, modern businesses do not consider degrees essential any more, hence the concern that the students are fighting in the wrong trenches.

Obviously there are many professions that still require traditional academic studies, but overall, the skills needed for future jobs and new templates of business point towards multiple and varied short courses (for example, coding or user experience design), internships and on-the-job learning.

What has happened now is that as more people with degrees fail to find employment, they eventually accept lower-skilled jobs. The less educated or unskilled are then pushed further down the labour market. In some cases, they are pushed out altogether.

So now what? How do you build the skills to future-proof your career?

The main takeaway is that it is no longer about career obtainable using degrees.  Careers are dynamic, they ebb and flow over time as technology advances; thus we have to fit into the industry. To get the job you want you need to think about skills. You need to think broadly about the types of skills you have and the types of skills you need to develop to help you stand out.

Labour market research shows that having two specialties at the intersection of two fields is a plus for job-seekers. If you are in a technical profession, focus on acquiring marketing and business skills. If you are on the creative side, consider analytics. The company you are applying to is going to look for both sets of skills. To build up your skills consider taking online courses or signing up for in-person short and long-term courses in marketing, programming, product and more. 

Be mindful that people and talent issues are now widely recognised as critical to business or organisational success. Monumental demographic shifts, entry into new and emerging markets, virtual and globally mobile workforces, and ever-changing risks are forcing companies to take bold, definitive action to improve how their human resource supports the business.

References

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ [Accessed: 10/10/16]

http://www.bentley.edu/ [Accessed: 10/10/16]

http://www.news24.com/ [Accessed: 10/10/16]

African Pastors: Building Empires in the Midst of Extreme Poverty

By  Hope Obamwonyi 

The issue of wealth and people’s response to it has created a clear divide in the body of Christ. While some preachers believe that God’s ultimate plan for His children is to prosper in this world and live eternally with Him in heaven quoting ‘I wish above all things that thou prosper …’ Others disagree and claim true followers of God should not focus on amassing the material possessions of this world especially when others around them suffer.

MONEY MONEY MONEY

Although Africa is home to some of the poorest and most religious countries in the world, it may seem a bit contradictory to note that she is home to the richest pastors in the world. According to naija.com, a Nigerian blog, five African pastors were listed among the wealthiest men of God in the world alongside Bishop TD Jakes, William Graham, Creflo Dollar and a host of them. From Nigeria, Bishop Oyedepo sits at the second position with a net worth of $150 million and other private properties. Pastor E.A Adeboye  was also listed in an African magazine, NEWSWEEK, as the most powerful man in Africa and one of the top 50 global power elites in 2008/2009, among others such as President Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy.

Forbes evaluation was recently released to indicate that the richest pastors in Africa are from Nigeria with Bishop Oyedepo at First position having a net worth of  $150 million while Chris Oyakilome is worth $50 million , T.B Joshua sits in third position with $15 million while Chris Okotie and Matthew Asimilowo stands at $10 each.

It has been revealed that some of these pastors have private investments in form of privately owned universities, houses, schools and businesses which helps to finance their first class lifestyle. However, a majority are believed to live on church funds gotten from the pocket of members.

FEEDING OR FLEECING THE FLOCK

It is commonplace in Africa for pastors to own mega churches, fleet of cars, private jets and properties all over the world while a majority of their members can barely feed on a daily basis. Criticism levelled from different quarters all leverage on the vulnerability and gullibility of church goers who use their hard-earned money to enrich their pastors, even at their detriment. In an article, poor blacks’ rich pastors, Seth Dunn elaborated on the plight of the average black church goer. He stated sadly that the wealthiest pastors in the world are blacks pastoring black poor people.

‘It is not uncommon for pastors in majority black churches to have perks such as automobile and clothing allowances. In fact, it is sometimes necessary for black pastors to have such allowance. Many black congregations expect their preachers to appear exceedingly prosperous. After all, who is going to take seriously a sermon about God’s material blessings given by a man with no gold watch, no fine suit, and no Cadillac? Absolutely no one.’

It is argued that Africans are too gullible and would turn to anything that appeals to them. While this argument is unsubstantial, most African church goers engage in different financial church commitments in form of ‘seed sowing’ which in turn often times goes to the pocket of their pastors.

Africa has mega churches with magnificent structures sited in the midst of abject poverty. These structures are often projects sponsored by the church members. Often times, a 1km walk from the church premises may leave one in utter dismay as to how much poverty is lurking around. These churches exude so much wealth while the reality of the professed ‘kingdom riches’ is hardly experiential in the life of the average church goer.

According to Alllafrica, Malawian, South Africa-based Pastor Hastings Salanje said pastors need to be rich because the congregation have to pay them for pouring unto them blessings they seek from God. “You see, we men of God are rich just because people pay us for giving them blessings” Salanje told Capital Radio in the Straight Talk.

The pastor’s son who goes by the name Iam Salanje posted a picture of his father’s luxurious cars on a convoy. He wrote “My dad’s convoy, I swear you would think he is a president” ‪#‎livinglife‪#‎richpastorsofSA ‪#‎salanjeanointing ‪#‎presidential “

Critics seem to be in dismay stating firmly that the tenets of Christ whom they serve preach modesty and self-denial. They call it a case of fleecing the flock instead of feeding them on the part of the ‘prosperity preachers’.

A Forbes contributor Mfonobong Nsehe summarized it when he stated that:

“Pastors are no longer solely interested in getting people to Heaven; they’ve devised intelligent ways to make good money while reaching out to souls.”

SHOULD ACCOUNTABILITY BE DEMANDED?

While most non-governmental and religious bodies are accountable to their members or boards of directors, most churches in Africa are privately owned. This automatically narrows down the chances of accountability & efficiency of accountability on the part of pastors. Most of them do not publish financial reports and earnings of their churches at the end of each year neither are they required to do so by their members.

Some say Africans have become so subservient because they are often reprimanded saying ‘judge not…’ but again it is instructive to note that apostle Paul in one of his many letters  called on believers to be the first to judge themselves. Some even believe that asking too many questions condemns them to hell, hence, they refuse to demand accountability even if they have substantial evidence that their church leaders are living flamboyant lifestyles off them. They are made to believe that pastors are accountable to no one else but God.

IT WASNT … FROM THE BEGINNING

A cross reference through the bible reveals the simplicity and modesty with which the early followers of Christ lived. In one of the books of the bible, a rich man was admonished by Christ to sell his property and distribute it to the poor; this left the rich man sorrowing seeing he had great wealth.

The early church preached communal living where everyone had a common purse and everything was distributed according to need such that no one lacked for nothing. This however does not eliminate the fact that there were rich and poor people in the early church, the general principle was for everyone to share what he has in such a way that no one is lacking.

THE ISSUE AT STAKE

The issue of uneven wealth distribution is not like biological differences which one can do little or nothing about. According to Seth Dunn the Christian faith is a call to service. It is commonly argued among critics that if African pastors unite to use their wealth to enrich Africa, this could serve as a major means of transformation. There is so much financial  resource in the hands of a few. This has made people call the faith an adulterated form of capitalism.

It is noteworthy to state that although most of these pastors carry out philanthropic “gestures”.
Courtesy: http://blog.swaliafrica.com/

Forbidden spaces? Public participation in solid waste management in Lusaka.

Participatory planning is cross-cuttingly pursued with the dis-mission of the "experts know it all" notion in shaping the common future. In seeking to place solid waste management processes in Lusaka, my master of science research focused on participatory planning in the city in relation to the national decentralisation policy provisions. Below is the abstract of the research. The link for the whole research is provided below:

Abstract 

Participatory processes are increasingly sought (internationally and nationally) in natural resource and environmental decision-making to embrace different interests, values and knowledge. In Zambia, public participation is anchored on the National Decentralisation Policy (NDP). The decentralisation policy provides for the creation of grassroots structures (herein public spheres) for “people spirited participation.” Public participation in Solid Waste Management (SWM) in the country is thus [supposed to be] premised on decentralisation. Different grassroots structures have been formed to facilitate actors’ participation in waste management districts and zones. 

However, pursuing participatory approaches has not improved managing waste (particularly in Lusaka) where SWM has faced resistance from households. Hence this study explored practices in participatory processes and strived to understand how actors problematise SWM in Mtendere township in Lusaka. Qualitative data collection methods (interviews –individual and focus group – and field observations) were utilised in the inquiry. Relevant themes and patterns to theories and concepts used in the study were captured from interviews and formed the study results and a basis for analysis and discussion.

Accounts of lived experiences in my study suggest that socio-economic, political affiliation, gender and age are used to exclude actors from participatory processes. Holders of different kinds of power 

(economic, political or expert) dominate grassroots spheres; making them seem forbidden to others. Politicisation of participatory spheres, information gaps (and rumours) and mistrust among actors have compounded the problem of SWM. However, although actors like households are often excluded from participatory processes, they are required to pay for managing waste. Households’ actions framed as “chikonko” (displeasure) by the waste collecting company and feelings that their (households) ideas are not appreciated typify SWM problematisation narratives. In seeking compliance to SWM systems, the Lusaka City Council introduced the Fast Track Court to prosecute SWM defaulters. Households have counteracted litigation through shielding each other and using dishonest and indiscriminate waste disposal means. Some methods of shielding others include paid-up households adding waste for non-paying neighbours to theirs; and paying workers for CBEs “small amounts” to collect unpaid for waste. The actions of mistrust deprive CBEs finances for efficient SWM. Mistrust in authorities and participatory process seem to have eroded actors’ confidence in participation. Largely, actors’ lived experiences are characterised by exclusion, frustrations, intimidation, arrests or convictions. 

Ream more: http://stud.epsilon.slu.se/9215/1/siachiyako_c_160620.pdf

Maturity in Tongaland: The case of girls

By guest writer: Gloria Miyoba

In all most almost all Zambian tribes, a girl is isolated from other playmates and friends for some time when she reaches puberty. Every tribe has got their own way of preparing the girl child for challenges and experiences associated with womanhood in early teenage years and in adulthood.

I do not claim ownership of this photo

This article shares how the Tongas prepare their girl child for womanhood. Tongas are one of Zambia’s main tribes, predominantly found in the southern province of Zambia. The Tonga tribe is segmented into fives groups. The Tongas of the Kafue plains are known as the BATWA. The ones from the Gwembe valley are referred to as the BAWEE. There are the BAAMBWE from Bwengwa, and the ILA from Namwala. The other Tonga group are known as the BA BIHI from the plateau.In spite of their classifications, all Tongas mainly depend on Agriculture and cattle rearing as their mainstay for their livelihood. Cattle are the major source of income and a symbol of wealth for the Tonga.

According to Tonga tradition, when a girl is about to reach puberty, she is  told that she is  expected to start crying without any reasonable cause immediately she sees blood soiling her underwear, which signals the beginning of her menstrual cycle. This is a signal for the parents to know that their daughter has come of age. Upon hearing her daughter’s cry, the mother has to call the paternal aunt (Father’s elder or younger sister or father’s female cousin). She will teach the girl how to look after herself each time she has her menses.

The young girl is strongly warned against having sex with male companions. Falling pregnant out of wedlock is strictly forbidden in Tonga tradition as this robs parents of potential measure of wealth when the time to marry off their daughter comes. Tongas marry off their daughters by charging their bride price in form of herds of cattle. A Tonga virgin known as NAKALINDU, can be paid for at as 10 herds of cattle as bride price.

When a girl comes of age, an initiation ceremony is held, which is known as KUVUNDIKA (Seclusion) young girl being indicted into the initiation is called KAMWALE, which simply means’ one who has come of age’. The other word is KUYALUKA. The initiation ceremony, KUVUNDIKA, takes between one to two months of initiation. During the period of seclusion, girls are not expected to go out and play after school work. When time comes for the secluded girls to take a bath, the girls are sneaked into the darkness of the early-morning hours to the river before everyone else in the village works up. This is so because according to Tonga tradition, these girls are not to be seen by the other people anyhow during the period of their initiation.

Girls who are in day schools are allowed to go to school and immediately return to the initiation hut after school work. Those that attend boarding school are initiated during holidays.

In the village, the message of initiation of a KAMWALE is spread across the village and near by villages by beating a traditional drum called” NDANDALA.”The people in the village and nearby village would know that there is a girl or a group of girls who has come of age at the sound of the drum. Even during meal times, the elderly women who are expected to live with the girls during the initiation prepare food that is taken to the girls in their secluded hut.

 During their seclusion, the girl or girls are taught by elderly women on how to traditional show respect to their in-laws when they get married. Other issues such as hygiene, abstinence from sex and how to conduct themselves in adult life are also taught. The climax reaches when the date for release of the girl or girls from seclusion is set. The closing of the initiation occurs at an occasion known as NKOLOLA. Events leading to the closing of the initiation begin two days before the girls are released from seclusion.

Two days before the end of the initiation, elderly women put water in a clay port which is known as CHIBIYA. The water is poured on the unsuspecting girl who is not expected to shriek or show shock, but only remain quiet, calm and composed. Doing this, for a girl, symbolizes a strong character of a growing courageous woman who will be able to deal with impervious obstacles in her adult life.

A night before release, people gather to celebrate by singing and beating drums such as NDANDALA, which is made of wood and cow skin; MPITO and NYELE, traditional instruments made of clay and reeds respectively. The dances performed during this night are called KULINDA NKOLOLA (Waiting for the last day of initiation) and CHIN’GANDE. At this occasion, a cow, chickens and goats are slaughtered for people to feed during celebrations.

Then the morning that everyone would have been waiting for arrives: the KAMWALE is led out of the secluded hut by the elderly women, covered in a blanket. She is led to sit on a reed mat at the arena of the occasion of her release with two elderly women seated by her side. Her father is called upon to uncover the blanket to reveal the KAMWALE to the public. Before he does this, he beats the NDANDALA drum and sings a song of self-praise in form of a poem known as KUYABILA. He next puts a certain amount of money on the reed mat where his daughter is seated and uncovers the girl. He later gives her advice and showers her with his blessings. After him, the rest of the people on the occasion present their various gifts to the KAMWALE, and thereafter, the ceremony ends. The young woman has begun her journey to into adult life.

SMEs: India's Economic Heroes, Lessons for Zambia Businesses

By Clive Mutame Siachiyako

For all its current economic strength, India remains a beacon of small and medium entrepreneurialism. Indian entrepreneurs are making waves across the world. Its micro, small and medium business firms are making acquisitions abroad and spreading their tentacles in various corners of the globe. They have flourished under globalisation and have proved all doomsday prophecies wrong.

Thus, India’s economy has been one of the stars of global economics in recent years mainly due to its robust SME sector. With its growth being supported by market reforms, rising foreign exchange reserves, both an information telecommunications (IT) and real estate boom, and a flourishing domestic direct investment (DDI) and capital market, India offers rewarding economic lessons to Zambia’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector.

According to the 2009 Economist Report on entrepreneurship, India is the ninth in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor survey of entrepreneurial countries. It is the highest among 28 countries in Necessity Based Entrepreneurship, while second among all nations in Total Entrepreneurship Activity. The country has been registering about US$3.6 billion annually from the ICT sector alone from SMEs prior to the economic crisis. The mobbed SME heroes of India were transforming small start-ups into global giants every year. They created business minded societies in several Indian cities by engaging in a frenzy of networking through partnerships and joint ventures.

India improved the growth of the SME sector after liberalising the economy in the 1990s by linking education and the industry. The country’s universities/colleges became its economic engines with proliferating science parks, technology offices, business incubators and venture funds. This helped to create a business minded class of graduates. The tradition entrepreneurship dates-back to basic and high schools in India. The trend has significantly boosted India’s DDI profile.

The country’s higher education system has also been designed to discover and develop first-class entrepreneurial skills. The system does not only inspire graduates to strike it rich, but to play their part in forging a new India with a double-digit economic and GDP growth and low levels of poverty. And through linking the education system to the industry, India began to reverse the brain drain. The country’s prodigal children were summoned home by economic offers of the native soil.  For instance, from 2003-2005, some 5,000 industrious Indians returned home from America. They trekked home to kick-start the country’s entrepreneurial economy and increase the DDI flow.

These Indian transplants from the Diaspora promoted SME growth through mentoring, networking and education. Today their network has 12, 000 members and operates in 53 cities in 12 countries. The transplants helped to fill some of the skills gaps created by India’s recent boom. They also reinforced the country’s existing links with high-tech countries in the West like America and in Europe. 

The Indian SME sector growth model offers various fundamental lessons for Zambia’s MSME sector. The linking of the education system to the industry is essential to the Zambia Development Agent (ZDA), Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) and ministry of education strategies meant to strengthen entrepreneurship levels in the country. By collaborating with human resource training institutions, citizens will obtain an entrepreneurship spirit and learn the art of sustaining business at the appropriate age. They will thus grow up with an entrepreneurial mindset. Such a phenomenon can result into a knowledge-based economy, where the use of knowledge is the main driver of growth, wealth creation and employment across all sectors without much dependency on foreign investors.

Picking it from the Indian model, several technical and vocational training institutions, colleges and universities can be a haven of entrepreneurial savvy and breeding grounds for businesses. The public-private partnership initiative can be a hallmark of linking the education system to the industry beyond public educational institutions. Business incubator programmes can be rooted into these institutions to blend business mindsets in students at the right time. The trend can descend further to basic schools and high schools in order to overhaul the Zambian mindset towards business. The strategy is paramount in enhancing government’s numerous programmes meant to meet long term developmental goals of attaining middle income status by 2030 among others.

Information telecommunications (ICT) is another significant parametre Zambia can tap from the India SME growth model to improve MSMEs’ business prowess. India’s enterprising heroes like Azim Premji transformed Wipro from a vegetable-oil company into a software giant. After liberalising the ICT sector, many Indian SMEs ventured into the sector. The cost of doing business equally reduced drastically. Internet use, calling rates and other related expenses fall. The sector became a lucrative business web.

With the ICT policy in place and other initiatives aimed at improving infrastructure, MSMEs can achieve and contribute greatly to the economy. Strategies such as multi-facility economic zones (MFEZ) meant to have necessary infrastructure in place for improved productivity can help transform dormant small enterprises into economic giants. Grounding MSMEs with competencies on how to utilise ICT to improve business efficiency is key in developing and discovering first-class MSMEs that can creating a strong buffer zone for the local economy. The current business reforms government is implementing fits well in promoting the MSME sector and the local economy as a whole.

The MFEZ initiative can help create a pool of MSMEs in various businesses. Various networks can sprout from these zones and help to uproot start-ups by providing them with key information on market offers and other business etiquettes. The start-ups can be both supplies and part of the global supply chains. With business linkage and joint venture initiatives already in place under the ZDA, Zambia can easily propel its DDI flow to supplement FDI. The net effect of such a combination will be increased economic growth, job and wealth creation as well as poverty reduction.

With well watched pace and coordinated policy strategies, Zambia can realise many new entrepreneurs onto the business sphere. The entrepreneurial spirit will begin to breathe new life into Zambia’s public and private sector and greatly revolve the economy. Zambians in the Diaspora will see the need to invest back home and translate Western ideas into local ideologies, combining them with acquired technological advances to drive economic growth. With such an economic atmosphere, Zambia, like India will be hopeful of having a brighter economic future.

Are entrepreneurs born or made?

By Clive Mutame Siachiyako

http://blog.postofficeshop.co.uk/

Entrepreneurship has become the mainstream economic buzzword. It is supported by political leaders, championed by non-governmental organisations, reinforced by growing infrastructure of tertiary education and venture capitalists. As a result, entrepreneurs are now emerging from almost anywhere, in any shape and go any direction.

Entrepreneurs and pushed or pulled, that is, some people become entrepreneurs due to circumstantial factors around them, while others are driven by their passion. Pushed entrepreneurs go into business either because they are retrenched, retired, declared redundant or dismissed or they switch to doing business as their only survival means. Circumstances ‘beyond control” force pushed entrepreneurs into venturing into business.

A pulled entrepreneur is attracted into business either out of passion or association with successful entrepreneurs or admiring entrepreneurial models that they emulate. Pulled entrepreneurs could be off-springs who start business because of their parents’ entrepreneurial nature or college graduates who venture into business after seeing older fellow graduates running successful business ventures.

Pulled entrepreneurs adequately prepare before launching in their enterprises. This gives them more chances of success than those who venture into business by circumstance.

Pushed entrepreneurs on the other hand are said to respond to unplanned and normally business through trail-and-error. They thus, exhibit lower rates of success. They rarely dream to be entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship begins with a dream. Success in entrepreneurship called for a lot of planning and preparations, taking into account all risk factors involved into each particular business venture one pursued.

Sources of business ideas
Business ideas come from different sources that are as varied as the businesses themselves.  When you’re looking for a business idea, do not look far; learn to look at yourself and the environment in which you leave. You can get a business idea from your trade or job. Ideas are got through the generation and mutations of random thoughts; some of which could be rejected by the minds as useless, while others could be seen as valuable and were retained.

Pursue the valuable ideas. It’s these ideas we consider valuable that cause our minds to generate reasonable grounds for belief, which in turn stirs the exceptional intellect or creative powers that reside within each one of us. Note that age is a non-factor to entrepreneurs. Dreams and the burning desire to achieve those dreams is what an entrepreneur needs.

Possible Sources of Business Ideas
 One’s job/trade:
A driver can easily:
    Start a driving school
    Run a taxi and/or mini bus enterprise
    Start a motor vehicle spares shop
    Run a car hire enterprise
A secretary can easily:
    Start a business centre/stationery shop
    Offer secretarial training services
    Offer computer appreciation courses
    Do secretarial related consultancies
An Electrical Engineer can easily:
    Run an electrical spares and appliances shop
    Run an electrical repairs workshop
    Engage in electrical installations services
    Run an electrical consultancy enterprise
A Nurse can easily:
    Run a private clinic or surgery
    Start a pharmacy or drugs store
    Start a home-based care centre
    Start a counselling centre
    Run an old people’s home

The list of examples of business ideas from one’s job/trade is endless. So as prospective entrepreneurs, use your knowledge, skills, qualifications, experience and contacts that you have gained on the job to start your own business. A wonderful future is waiting for you.

Shortages in your area
Look around in your area and ask yourself ‘why there’s no one in this and that business. You look products/services that people often use in the area, yet they move long distance to access. Grab that chance; bring the products/services closer to the people in the neighbourhood.

You can get a lot of viable business ideas by just looking at products/services that are not readily available in the area in which you live or intend to settle. Make a simple survey to find out whether such missing products and services would be demanded in that area and ACT promptly and strategically. Do not just watch, act!!

Shortcomings in existing products/services
On several occasions, some poor products and services have saddened you in your area and you have probably said to yourself “if I were the one running that business, I would not have produced such poor quality products/services.”

Keenly observe and capitalise on the shortcomings in the products and services of others and come up with some imaginations of how you would improve and change the image of such poor products and services if you were the owner. Use that imagination to aspire to start your own business.

Other business ideas can be from one’s hobbies, talent of interests. For instance, interest in hair plaiting can result into the establishment of a hair salon. Extra-ordinary use of certain products by people can be another source of a business idea. Man’s basic needs or changes in social custom always present an alert entrepreneur with a business idea.

Remember: entrepreneurial dreams do come true for those who take action and are willing to learn from their mistakes. Make your business dreams a reality.

Exports: A Booster to Development.

By Clive Mutame Siachiyako

In today’s interconnected global economy, expansion into international markets becomes a serious question for any economy. Exports generate reasonable foreign exchange into the exporting economy. The net effects of such foreign exchange injections ignite great economic progress, which can translate into job and wealth creation in the economies of exporting countries. Endowed with certain resources, countries depend on each other’s comparative advantage for economic sustenance. Trade therefore becomes crucial in that equation.

Zambia being a resource-rich country in terms of mineral wealth as well as plentiful arable land, abundant water, affordable electricity from coal reserves as well as hydroelectric power, has a lot of potential to export globally. The country has a lot of other existing opportunities for processing of natural resources in sectors such as textiles, agro-industries and gemstone processing, all of which offer opportunities for more external trade. Since the early 1990s, Zambia’s external trade has become progressively liberalised in response to the globalisation phenomenon. Government incentives to develop export industries in favour of import substitution have led to improved foreign exchange earnings.

The country’s most successful traditional exports remain its metals and minerals, in particular copper and cobalt. However, there has been steady growth of non-traditional exports (NTEs), which continue to be promoted by government. The significance of non-traditional exports to Zambia’s economy cannot be overstated. To reduce the economy’s reliance on traditional mineral exports such as raw copper and cobalt, NTE’s are vital in increasing economic diversification and promoting growth.

Zambia’s non traditional exports include sugar, cotton lint, floriculture, soya beans and other primary agricultural produce with textile, engineering products, cement and handcrafts also proving lucrative. Other significant export products are fertilisers, hydrated lime, coal, tea, maize, skin leather, asbestos pipes/sheets, groundnuts, mushrooms, fresh eggs and day old chicks, paper, aluminium wires and cables, sorghum, clothing and blankets. Manufacturing exports have grown significantly, and there is room for further export production considering the great demand of the country’s products on the international market.

The success of the NTE sector has manifested itself in improved export earnings and increased contributions to total exports. In recent years, NTE earnings increased, accounting for some 35 percent of export earnings, with fresh flowers, gemstones, cotton lint, sugar, copper wire and gold bar exports all contributing to this strong performance. The South African market continues to be by far the largest for Zambia’s NTEs. Principal export products to the EU, USA and Far East are cut flowers, fresh vegetables and fruits, cotton yarn, coffee, sugar, paprika, game trophies, tobacco, cotton lint and honey products. Markets within the SADC and COMESA region are mostly supplied with sugar, cotton lint, electricity, cement, soya beans, animal feeds, tobacco, meat/poultry/dairy products, paprika, chemicals and petroleum products.

Zambia’s strategic advantages have laid the foundations for the establishment of sector export promotion strategies in order to stimulating further production and facilitate diversification in the export base. Trade agreements such as COMESA have opened up regional markets, with Zambia reaping the financial rewards of the region’s free trade area. In addition, Zambia is expected to realise tremendous benefits from the currently launched COMESA Customs Union’s external common tariff, including increased Foreign Direct Investment flows, export diversification and a stronger negotiation position in multilateral negotiations, among others.

Further opportunities exist to broaden Zambia’s export markets and products with the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) market, in particular South Africa, being seen as having huge potential. To assist the penetration of Zambian products abroad, two trade fairs are organised every year. Held in Lusaka, the internationally recognised Zambia Agriculture and Commercial Show exhibits agricultural equipment, produce and manufactured goods, while Ndola’s Zambia International Trade Fair has an impressive variety of products and draws exhibitors from the region as well as abroad.

From a rich natural resource base covering minerals as well as agricultural resources, Zambia is broadening its export basket to include other important opportunities deriving from export growth. The economic diversification strategy of Zambia includes; diversifying the range of markets into which existing products are exported (geographic diversification); upgrading the quality of existing products; and taking advantage of opportunities to expand exports of services. The emphasis of Zambia’s diversification strategy is tailored to the country’s niche in the global market especially towards emerging large economies, such as Brazil, China and India.

Shifting from the traditional exports of copper and cobalt, the country is utilising available opportunities in several sub-sectors such as the food processing and beverages; clothing and textiles; metal processing; agro-processing – including fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides; wood and wood products, paper products and packaging; and cement and explosives; as well as leather and leather products. Others are processing and polishing of gemstones and jewellery making, engineering products, plastic and glass containers, and many others. Manufacturing industries are cardinal in the diversification of the economy away from raw copper and into NTEs, including the downstream processing of many primary products. A reduction in customs duty rates for some misclassified finished items has been made to boost the manufacturing sector.

Zambia’s Export Opportunities (Part ii)–AGOA Zambia is a signatory to several trade agreements including the umbrella trade organisation, the World Trade Organisation. These trade agreements play a leading role in the promotion of Zambia’s exports and economic development and the reduction of poverty, which are essential tenets in attaining development targets. Each trade agreement focuses on boosting export earnings of key sectors in the economy.

Among the trade agreements to which Zambia is a signatory is the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA). The African Growth and Opportunities Act is part of the United State Trade and Development Act, which allows more than 4,600 products from 144 designated countries and territories, mainly in the developing world to enter the United States market tariff-free.

Currently, there are 38 Sub-Saharan countries that are eligible for benefits under AGOA. Over the last seven years, AGOA has succeeded in stimulating increases in United States-Africa trade, creating new jobs and spurring investment worth millions of Dollars.

In Zambia, AGOA focuses on horticulture and handcrafts. The United States government plays a great role in assisting the Zambian horticulture industry to take advantage of the African Growth Opportunity Act. Initially, only baby corn, baby carrots and snow peas were the only fresh vegetables that were exported to the US market from Zambia. But with the commissioning of the Pest Risk Assessment in 2003, other products are eligible to enter the US market under AGOA. Candidate products eligible for the US market under the Pest Risk Assessment include fine beans, asparagus, courgettes, chilies, baby melons, leeks and okra. This has been possible through the support from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

The increase in the number of products eligible into the United States market entails increased market opportunities for the Zambian horticultural products. Zambia’s agricultural-based industries are thus benefiting from the African Growth and Opportunities Act trade initiatives.The African Growth Opportunities Act focuses on the handicraft industry as well. Although the initial focus was on hand made products, the current AGOA legislation includes crafts products produced from machines. This legislation adds more benefits to the Zambian players in the handicraft industry whose market size has been broadened. This current AGOA legislation includes the textile industry. This entails that Zambian companies in the textile industry can export garments of different nature to the US market quota and duty free. Only quality matters may limit the exporters.

However, some Zambian exports into the AGOA market have been induced through exports to countries eligible to export such products to the AGOA market. For instance, in the textile sub-sectors, Zambian exports not eligible into the US market under AGOA have been exported to AGOA eligible countries in such exports for onward garment production for the AGOA market. Cotton yarn is one such product which Zambian exporters are not eligible under AGOA to export to the US market. To that effect, Zambian cotton yarn exporters sell abroad to eligible countries who later export to the US market. Mauritius, Lesotho, Botswana and South Africa have been principle AGOA induced export markets for Zambia. With the opening up of new garment factories as well as the increase in production capacity of the existing factories, Mauritius is particularly drawing a lot of cotton yarn from Zambia companies.

To boost AGOA exports and aid for the diversification of export products to the US market, COMESA with funding from the United States Agency for International Development, came up with AGOA linkages in COMESA (ALINC) programme. The ALINC programme promotes African Growth Opportunities Act in member states of COMESA, which are AGOA eligible. Apart from facilitating trade between Africa and the United States, ALINC disseminates information on the African Growth Opportunities Act. In order to improve Zambia’s chances of taking advantage of AGOA, the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry in conjunction with partners such as Zambia Development Agency; Market Access, Trade and Enabling Policy; COMESA and Mount Makulu have continued with country wide sensetisation programmes, capacity building of producers and exporters as well as institutions rendering services to the private sector on the characteristics and needs of the US market. The initiative is meant to provide Zambian exporters with training on export development, packaging and on how to reduce the cost of transportation of their exports.

The African Growth Opportunity Act initiative is a real opportunity for Zambia. The government must thus build on those opportunities in conjunction with farmers, manufacturers and the business community to ensure that trade under the Act continues to flow between Zambia and USA. This entails more export earnings for Zambia, a phenomenon cardinal to job and wealth creation as well as poverty reduction.

Foreign Markets

Zambian Exports’ Opportunities.Market expansion is vital for any exporter to increase returns. To broaden its regional and international market share, Zambia is a signatory to a number of bilateral, regional and multilateral trade agreements. Trading partners within the southern Africa include South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Congo DR. In addition, vital international trade partners comprise EU countries such as Germany, USA and the United Kingdom.

Within the southern region, Zambia is a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a grouping of 14 countries with a combined population of about 200 million people. And the country’s active participation in the SADC Trade Protocol as well as the Africa wide 20 countries Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)/ Free Trade Area (FTA) offers preferential tariff access to total market potential of nearly 380 million people.

Similarly, with the advent of Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) duty free access to the huge USA market has become a reality. AGOA-Africa Growth and Opportunity ActThis Act provides trade preferences for quota and duty-free entry into the United States market for certain goods. Notably, AGOA expanded market access for textile and apparel goods into the United States for eligible countries. Some AGOA countries have begun to export new products to the United States, such as cut flowers, horticultural products, automotives and steel. Initially, AGOA was set to expire in 2008. In 2004, the United States Congress passed the AGOA Acceleration Act of 2004, which extended the legislation to 2015. The Act’s apparel special provision, which permits lesser-developed countries to set foreign fabric for their garment exports, was to expire in September 2007. However, the legislation passed by Congress in December 2006 extended it through 2012.

Contonou Agreement The Continou Agreement provides for reciprocal trade agreements, meaning that not only the European Union (EU) provides duty-free access to its markets for African, Caribbean and Pacific Nations (ACP) exports, but ACP countries also provide duty-free access to their own markets for EU exports. True to the Continou principle of differentiation, however, not all ACP countries have to open their markets to EU products after 2008. The group of least developed countries is able to either continue cooperation of non-reciprocal trade preferences or the “Everything But Arms” regulation.

Zambia is also a signatory to the Continou Agreement, which aims to achieve free trade arrangements between the EU and the ACP regional groupings. EBA- Everything But ArmsEverything But Arms (EBA) is an initiative of the European Union under which all imports to the EU from the Least Developed Countries are duty free and quota free, with the exception of armaments. EBA entered into force on 5 March2001. There are transitional arrangements for bananas, sugar and rice until January 2006, July 2009 and September 2009 respectively.

COMESA- Common Market for Eastern and Southern AfricaCOMESA was founded in 1994 to replace the former Preferential Trade Area (PTA) and forms a formidable market (both external and internal trading) with over 20 member states with a population of more than 374 million and an annual import bill of around USD 32 billion. COMESA member states are; Angola, Burundi, Congo DR, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Malawi and Madagascar. Other members are Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

SADC- Southern Africa Development Community

The Southern Africa Development Community was formed with the objective of building a region of high levels of harmonisation and rationalisation that enable pooling of resources to achieve self reliance and ultimately improve the living standard and quality of people in this region.

The SADC member states include Angola, Botswana, Congo DR, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia as well as Zimbabwe.

To accelerate economic growth, SADC member states are individually intensifying their efforts to implement comprehensive economic and social reforms within the organ’s development framework of pursuing poverty reduction oriented policies, addressing good governance issues, infrastructure and production capacity constraints, all of which are cardinal in the facilitation of economic development and attracting investment. 

Zambia’s membership to regional organisations such as COMESA and SADC has buoyed the country’s export market. And the country’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.

Courtesy of Zambia Development Agency [my employer in 2009 when I originally wrote this article] trade, policy and investment agreements.