Ndola business leaders have set themselves the goal of creating 50 000 jobs in the Copperbelt over the next four years. It is achievable if government provides the right incentives and support, says John Samaras, president of the Ndola and District Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NDCCI). He outlined the plans and the requested support in a speech at the opening of the 2019 Copperbelt Expo, with Zambian president Edgar Lungu and trade and industry minister Christopher Ualuma among the dignitaries in the audience. “We, as the private sector, would like to take this opportunity to formally ask government to consider turning Ndola into a copper processing zone and also transform the entire industrial area into a multi facility economic zone (MFEZ). “This will encourage internal and external investment which, if applied properly, will increase our profits, which will in turn increase our ability to pay more tax to ZRA (Zambia Revenue Authority),” he said. Samaras told FTW that he had met with the president after the opening ceremony, and that the chamber was in continued talks with government officials. The chamber is also continuing to lobby, using Ndola’s dormant textile and clothing sector as an example of how government can assist the private sector to create jobs. “In the 1980s Zambia’s textile industry comprised over 140 companies which employed more than 25 000 Zambians. In 1991 policy change closed these factories. “Why are we importing clothes and linen from South Africa, Zimbabwe and China when we could fire up a long-term strategy and get our textile industry up and running and producing for export?” he asked. Other business chambers, as well as the Zambian Chamber of Commerce, are joining forces with the NDCCI to lobby government, according to Samaras. “There is a new generation of young business leaders coming through and we are determined to shake things up”. The Ndola chamber also wants to add value to the millions of tons of copper that trundle through the streets of Ndola on the back of trucks heading for the ports in neighbouring countries. “Why are we exporting our raw materials more than 12 000 kilometres away, and then reimporting the finished products, which are shipped back another 12 000 kms to be sold on our market at premium prices?” Processing just 16% of the 850 000 metric tons of copper, which the region has the capacity to export, into copper wire, cables and even electrical equipment would create a whole new industry – one that would be developed by the private sector if the government put the right policies and support in place. Adding value at source would create jobs and provide the boost needed for the Zambian economy in a country where the population is set to double by 2030. Sustainable jobs can also be created by adding value in other sectors, says Samaras. “We have been blessed with soils that grow any seed we plant. We should be growing all we can and then processing the full potential of all our maize and wheat and supplying all our neighbours with finished product. We should be the bread basket of this region,” he says.
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Why are we exporting our raw materials more than 12 000 kilometres away, and then reimporting the finished products? – John Samaras
