Exploiting opportunities from the growing economy  

Mon, 22 May 2017 13:06:39 +0000

By Sycorax Tiyese

When some people and some opposition leaders say that Zambia’s poverty levels are growing, reflecting on what is happening both in rural and urban areas, one wonders how honest, objective and accurate such statements are.

Finance minister, Felix Mutati has on several occasions stated that the national economy is heading for sustainable growth. Such statements can be proved by high foreign direct investments flowing into our country almost every quarter of a year. Increasing support from Zambia’s co-operating partners such as USAID, British government, Chinese government, Swedish Co-operative Centre and many others to various sectors of the economy prove that what Hon. Mutati says is true. As a result, it is reported that inflation rate is now at single digit; and the Zambian Kwacha has sustained its exchange rate with the United State dollar to less than K10 for more than six months now.

While such reports and figures can be perceived to be only on paper, when one sees how many Zambians both in rural and urban areas; including those in Kalabo district are involved in profitable economic activities; especially from the economic effects of increased and improved road network infrastructure like that of Mongu-Kalabo road among many others, one can agree that many Zambians are now successfully and profitably exploiting many opportunities our country offers to the benefit of many Zambian families.

One can argue that it is mostly foreigners buying plots in good residential areas; and building mansions when majority Zambians are just watching because they are poor. Another one can add that competition is stiff; and some businesses find it hard to survive. Yes. Those are effects of globalisation which no one can control today. Moreover, Darwin theory of evolution which also includes the survival of the fittest comes into reality in modern business strategies and tactics.

To prove that, regardless of competition and some pockets of poverty levels, some Zambians are making increased economic progress in improving on their living standards, consider how most Zambians are now involved in buying plots and building relatively good houses; and some constructing mansions with Nigerian roof styles in most districts of this country.

In most rural areas, villagers have organised themselves in weekly market activities where even people from urban areas go there to sell their merchandise. There are increased economic interactions between urban and rural dwellers to the benefit of many Zambians families as a result of increased and improved road network infrastructure in the country.

From heightened profitable economic activities most Zambians are involved in, owning a vehicle is like owning a bicycle in Zambia now.

For instance, one day, this writer was at Lusaka’s Downtown near a certain bus stop. A woman came out of a certain mini-bus with a bag full of some merchandise and two malubango of cooked groundnuts which she wanted to sell in town through mobile selling(Eagle-eagle). Next to that mini-bus was a stationary Toyota Hilux with stationery inside it where a driver was playing loud music with all doors closed.

That woman knocked on one of the doors of that Toyota Hilux; and informed the driver that he should drive safely to avoid driving over her two malubango of nshawa which were one on top of the other.

As she hurriedly carried the bag to the safe place, that Toyota Hilux driver drove over the two malubango; scattering some few groundnuts on the ground.

Suddenly, many other young men came to shout at this driver for running over that woman’s groundnuts; thereby creating a potential loss in her business. Running, the stated woman came complaining to the concerned driver that she had told him to be careful when driving off to prevent the vehicle from running over her groundnuts.

With a crowd of young men around him, this driver just pierced his right hand into one of his pockets; fished out a K50 note; and handed it to that complaining woman. Seeing a reasonable amount of money that woman was compensated for, the young men pounced and scrambled for the groundnuts on the floor.

Realising that that woman was in good cash from their support, the young men shouted at this driver; and complaining that how could he give such a huge sum of money to that woman for spreading few groundnuts on the floor. Then, the young men turned on that woman; and demanded some groundnuts; arguing that they also needed to benefit because she would not have received that huge sum of money from that driver without their support.

With a bit of care and reservation, some young men started grabbing some groundnuts from the stated woman. That woman, who was busy moving up and down placing her merchandise in the right place away from near the main road, was forcefully talking to such young men while preventing them from picking some groundnuts from her lubango. She was active and defensive as she transferred her merchandise from one place to another.

Not knowing how such Eagle-eagle women relate with such young men in town, I pretended that the woman was my sister. I thanked the young men for the job well done; and pleaded with them to leave that woman alone. Surprisingly, the woman was not running away from such young men despite advising her to leave that place.

Avoiding to be a victim of such young men, I sneaked away; and waited for that woman from a distance. When she came near me, I told her not to argue with town young men; especially that she got a K50 from that driver with the help of the same guys. I told her that they would have grabbed all the groundnuts so that she remains with the K50 note; or they would have got that K50 note; and shared among themselves. I warned her to be careful with town ‘boys’.

While I was sympathising with her situation, she retorted that, for one to sell in town, one needs to be tough. ‘They know me;’ she said. She also said she told them that she does not sell K50 per day; but sells more than K250 from the same business.

From such an episode, I learnt many things. Firstly, that some Zambians have some money to dish out. Secondly, that, from informal simple tax-free businesses, some Zambians earn relatively good income per month.

As a result, from such businesses, some people send their children to school from grade 1 to university levels. Thirdly, I figured out that, probably the Toyota Hilux driver dished out that K50 note because he was afraid of being taken to traffic police or to RTSA offices for perceived careless driving which might have landed him into fast truck traffic offence court where he would be remanded or imprisoned for few or so months.

Fourthly, I learnt that enforcing law accordingly, regulates behaviour in citizens. And, from such firm and fair law enforcement, many other citizens learn to conduct themselves accordingly within the confines of the law of the land. Such promotes harmony among many different citizens in a country.

Therefore, while it is argued that foreign nationals are exploiting most opportunities Zambia offers like the way the colonialists scrambled for African countries’ resources, it is pleasing that, currently, majority Zambians have joined being highly involved in economic activities which benefit their families.

What is worrying is that while many Zambians appreciate what the current government under President Edgar Chagwa Lungu is doing in facilitating socio-economic infrastructure such as schools, colleges, universities, health centres, hospitals and roads among others, almost in all parts of the country to benefit all Zambians, some few citizens are busy complaining against the same government over some isolated socio-economic challenges we experience.

Hence, someone asked: ‘Do you expect the current government to be 100 per cent in addressing our country’s socio-economic ills?’ And one motivation speaker said: ‘Don’t look at everything from one negative side. Consider the positive side of something too; and use the same beneficial side of something to propel yourself to greater heights!’

Therefore, while one does not expect President Lungu and the PF government to be 100 per cent in addressing the country’s socio-economic challenges, one also assumes that Zambians will go flat out exploiting the available economic opportunities in a sustainable manner.

For instance, livestock and  fisheries minister, Michael Katambo said, annually, Zambia imports about 126, 345 metric tonnes of fish worth K3.8 billion(Daily Nation: May 18, 2017; page 4).  Additionally, on several occasions, it has also been reported that Zambia has a shortage of chickens, beef and fruits among others.

Such shortages exclude the high demand of the same farm produce and agricultural related commodities and products in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). This implies that opportunities are many!

What might be needed is merely building more capacities in oneself; or as a group of citizens involved in specific economic activities lobbying government or lending institutions to facilitate access to more land and loans to further exploit the overt and covert economic activities available in our country.

Some young, middle aged and old male and female Zambians are also busy exploiting opportunities in academic and professional studies which many public and private colleges and universities offer in the country.

All such are ways most Zambians are exploiting available opportunities to improve on their living standards further.

The author is a lecturer in Journalism and Mass Communication. He is also a trainer in Public Relations (PR) and in Local Governance.

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Cell: 0977/0967 450151

E-mail: sycoraxtndhlovu@yahoo.co.uk