By Hon Christopher B Yaluma – Former Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry
On Thursday,12th August 2021, the voters on the mighty Copperbelt Province will overwhelmingly renew the mandate of His Excellency the Republican President Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu for another 5 years to continue to provide his leadership to the people of this great country. He deserves to be re-elected.
Their basis for the certain vote of confidence is very certain and clear. The massive infrastructure developments the PF government has ushered in the province and the country at large since he was ushered into the highest office in 2015.
I served under the leadership of His Excellency and I can attest to the unique leadership and qualities of the man who is fondly known as Chagwa.
The President thoroughly appreciates the role the mining industry plays in the economy of this country. The President deeply cares for the well being of Zambia’s citizens and especially that of the miners.
Exploration
Under his leadership, Zambia has witnessed the greatest expansion in private and citizen led mineral exploration ever seen. More than at any other period in the history of Zambia, thousands of Zambians have been empowered to own artisanal, small and large scale mining exploration licences.
The President was concerned that there were not enough Zambians who were active in the mining sector and directed that barriers to entry into mining be investigated and removed for the citizens. How insightful that has proved to be in every province of this great country, mining rights are now held by local communities and they have become the lead actors in facilitating direct foreign investments in mining exploration, with results that are now starting to show.
After 2016, the President , H.E Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu directed that government hastens the country wide high level survey of the country to discover new mining opportunities. To date, more than 60 percent of the country has now been surveyed and the data will feed back into the industry to give rise to yet more new mines in the future. This will create more jobs and incomes for the people of the country.
Value Addition and Diversification.
Zambia now is being increasingly seen as a source of metals rather than copper. The manganese sector is one example. The country has long known that it hosts world class manganese deposits especially in the Northern half of the country.
Government has prioritised creating an enabling environment for large scale manganese mines from the region. It was a shrewd strategy to invest in massive power projects so that electricity will be available to meet the needs of the manganese sector among others.
The massive investment in roads, bridges and power upgrades were partly a strategy to unlock the mining potential of the Northern region to investors.
The results of this policy are now evident. The President is on record to say he would like to revive the manganese industry which hereto was centered on Mansa Batteries. This industry will come back and will now ride the wave of the global energy transition which has dramatically increased the demand for manganese.
The PF government made the initial difficult but strategic decision to invest in the infrastructure that power mining.
This is the result of having a visionary leader at the helm of the nation, and this is what we have been fortunate to have in H:E Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
H:E understands that the time is now ripe for the country to start adding value to its minerals and embark on high value added exports to all our commodities. To achieve this? Invest in tertiary education infrastructure and give skills to the young ones who will be required to bring skills to the industry. Skills are the prerequisite to industrialization. This policy has seen increased support in form loans to students to public and private universities. Value addition, i.e. industrialization will take off in Zambia as this President has now put all the necessary ingredients to allow the take off of massive growth.
Zambia will soon boast of high quality, high paying jobs. Our youth will work , our youth will be part of the globalised economy.
Finally,
Across the massive region we call the Copperbelt voters will endorse a practical decision the President has made and which all have witnessed-the re acquiring of Mopani and KCM mines.
Zambia now again owns mines it can call her own. 57 years after independence , the country has skills, knowledge and resourcefulness to manage complex industry as it has employed citizens world class engineers and local experts in finance, logistics, commerce etc who are running the firms.
Against considerable challenges, Zambia management has steadily increased production of copper at Mopani and this sometimes goes unheralded especially in opposition circles.
The people of the copperbelt are now talking a success story. Miners everywhere have been given a new lease of hope. If they are mistreated, their President Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu will legally defend their sacred interests.
The PF government has never been anti- investor but is a practical government which puts the interest of only its people as its priority.
A vote for H:E Edgar Chagwa Lungu and his PF government is a vote for a prosperous and diversified future of Zambia anchored on her rich resources.
The President exactly knows what to do , I am asking you to give him your vote. Your future has never been brighter.
