SMEs GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT: THE FRESH AIR OF CHANGE, HOPE AND OPTIMISM
1. INTRODUCTION
The underlying truth about political change is that it always brings about expectations of fresh air of change, hope and optimism about a better life.
This is the reason for the jubilation and happiness that lie behind the songs and dance people display in their homes, villages and public rallies whenever new leaders take the stage of leadership.
The challange of every new leadership is to come up with that spark which will ignite the fresh air of change. This is the situation obtaining in the country now with the UPND leadership on the political platform of governance of the nation.
Critical observers of the country’s governance will without any hesitation agree that new political leaders from 1964 identified certain policy directions and hit the ground running.
For UNIP equality of opportunities in various sectors was a major rallying point. The UNIP leadership opened up opportunities for all citizens through various policies aimed at dismantling racial segregation to create a non-discriminatory multiracial society.
In education and health sectors the desegregation policy created room for all races to go to same facilities available.
The Zambianisation policy opened up opportunities for any qualified Zambian to take up senior positions in industries which were dominated by expatriates. It was truly a breath of fresh air of change from the colonial racial discriminatory practices. The ONE ZAMBIA ONE NATION motto cemented it all.
The MMD team of leaders embarked on the economic liberalisation crusade which saw a big crack in the commandist state-dominated economy.
The free market economy of the new leaders gave way to private sector participation. The transport sector in particular saw the demise of the UBZ, a state monopoly and private citizens moved in to provide big and small bus transport facilities to the travelling public.
The retail sector equally witnessed the demise of state shops like ZCBC, Z-OK and Mwaiseni giving way to private run shops and shopping malls.
The PF took the opportunity of hitting the ground with the infrastructure projects which were left by the MMD government
and excelled to complete them. The urban roads project including the Lusaka deconjestion project were started under MMD and the PF moved on to complete them.
A major project in the road sector was the Mongu- Kalabo road which was commissioned in 2010 and expected to be completed in 2015. PF took it up in 2011 and completed it.
The design of the Lusaka, Ndola and Livingstone airport terminals were done during the MMD rule. The Lusaka international terminal and other facilities were at the tender stage when PF came into leadership and the new leaders took it over.
The toll gate programme on the high ways was at the advertisement stage when the PF took over and the new government continued with the project.
At the time when the new PF leaders took over in 2011 there was a programme of constructing communication
towers in unserved and underserved remote areas and 169 towers were under construction. The new leaders moved with it and went as far as targeting to construct 1, 009 towers.
In education, there were 100 secondary schools and hundreds of primary schools under various levels of construction in 2011 and the PF government continued with the projects and added on new ones.
The infrastructure projects left by the MMD in other sectors like energy, health and so on were many and PF continued with them. For example, the 650 clinics project funded by the Indian government was procured by the MMD in 2009 and PF took it up and continued with it.
The point however is that the PF leadership took up infrastructure its major policy objective and ran with it in its development agenda.
The UPND leaders are now on the political platform. A lot has been said about what the new leaders want to do in the strive to leave a landmark on the country’s development landscape.
Based on the UPND leadership’s written and oral statements and in the light of the writer’s thoughts in the last article it is his considered view that a crusade for the growth of SMEs countrywide for economic transformation should be one of the immediate policy rallying point of the new leaders.
A big push for the growth and development of the SMEs is a timely and highly relevant route to bring about a big breath of fresh air of change, hope and optimism in Zambia’s economic malady.
2. WHY SMEs ARE THE FRESH AIR OF CHANGE
A detailed discussion of the centrality of SMEs in economic transformation was done in the previous article. Further, the article also did outline the challenges faced by SMEs. In summary, SMEs are the revolution of the economic transformation of many countries today.
They are the breath of fresh air of change, hope and optimism because of their cardinal role of bringing about inclusiveness and integration, creating jobs, reducing poverty, raising growth in GDP, sparking technological adaptation and productivity, mindset change, developing entrepreneural spirit and entrepreneural culture,developing innovation, raising equitable development and prosperity for all.
If properly planned, coordinated and strongly supported SMEs can enable the youth, women, the disabled and all
categories of marginalised people see and feel change in their lives.
Zambia’s SME sector is in comparative terms veryundeveloped. Its growth and development can significantly bring about far reaching positive exploitation of the rich abundant diverse natural resources the country is endowed with.
The solutions to the country’s economic problems especially that of unemployment and poverty is within reach through a well thought-out national crusade of support for the growth and development of SMEs.
The new UPND leadership has an opportunity to make it happen as the fresh air of change, hope and optimism. Micro Enterprises should also be included in this venture of change.
3. THE NECESSARY STEPS TO TAKE
The entire government system, private sector, traditional institutional system, development partners, churches, NGOs and so on are an ecosystem for MSME growth and development.
What is required is to create the necessary synergies that can produce a big push support for MSMEs as the engine of the country’s economic transformation for prosperity for all.
The new ministry responsible for SMEs is the kingpin of the national crusade for the growth and development of this sector. The ministry can quickly reposition itself to take a leading role in this crusade for MSMEs growth and development.
I feel that the ministry should be a preserve of the youth. Young graduates with university and college credentials should take positions in the ministry from the
headquarters to the district level as:
TRAINERS
PLANNERS
RESEARCHERS
BUSINESS ADVISORS
ADVOCATES/COMMUNICATORS
To galvanise support for the crusade for MSMEs growth and development, the ministry can as a matter of urgency organize a national stakeholders’ conference for MSMEs growth and development.
The conference will help in creating the mood and direction the nation is taking. The conference can address such pertinent issues as: the current state of MSMEs in the country, the centrality of MSMEs in economic transformation, the state of the policy, legal and regulatory framework for MSMEs, the possible ecosystem support structures for MSMEs and resource mobilisation for SMEs.
4. CONCLUSION
The article ends with the following statement: IT IS POSSIBILE TO TURN THE IMPROBABLE INTO REALITY. The UPND leadership can make poverty reduction, employment generation, wealth creation, raised productivity, equitable development and overall economic transformation a reality if energy, time and resources are turned in the direction of vigorous support for the growth and development of MSMEs.
