Home to the mighty Victoria Falls: a place were 72 different tribes live in peace: land of many water bodies: home to the endangered rhino. These are the excerpts from a poem written by George Mwandu, which describes the mystic land of Zambia. To add to these adjectives, it is also the birth place of Wilbur Smith, whose books are rich with abiding concerns for the people and wild life in Africa and beyond. Translated into several languages, there are good number of people in India also, who are vivid readers of his meticulously well researched books, which narrate his expeditions world-wide.
Beyond the veneer of its natural beauty and scenic setting, there is another Zambia, which is leaving no stone unturned to script its economic progress. It is mainly that Zambia, rich in mineral resources that can trigger growth at a faster pace and at the same time, providing mind boggling opportunities for investment and technology transfer that www.trendsnafrica.com , tried to map through the one-on-one-free-wheeling-interview with its young looking High Commissioner Her Excellency (Mrs) Judith K.K Kan’goma-Kapijimpanga.
The trigger point of the interview was the Batoka Gorge hydropower, which is built under the joint auspices of both Zambia and Zimbabwe near Victoria Falls across River Zambezi, which is the fourth largest river in Africa, flowing into Indian Ocean, after traversing a distance of 2574 kms along Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. “This project, which was conceived some 25 years ago, when completed will generate 2400 MW of electricity. The project cost is estimated at US $ 4 billion and would ensure energy security to both Zambia and Zimbabwe and the surplus would be exported to the neighboring countries,” says the High Commissioner, adding that the project would be a game changer not only for both countries involved but also for the neighboring countries enabling them to set up upstream and downstream projects of the mineral resources found in abundance in these countries. The implementing agency will be the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), a bi-national organization mandated to operate, monitor and maintain the Kariba Dam Complex and to exploit the full potential of the Zambezi River.
Interestingly, there is the presence of India in the power sector of Zambia. Tata Power and ZESCO, a government owned 120 MW power utility is operating on a 50: 50 partnership in the Itezhi Tezhi Hydro Energy generation project in Zambia. “ It is a trailblazer for many more investment opportunities that can happen between the two countries and I hope India will emerge as one of the largest investors in Zambia,” avers the High Commissioner. The scope for the partnership in the power sector can be broadened to include non conventional energy also since Zambia is laying a lot of importance in tapping solar energy because of the abundant sunshine in the country, she adds.
Zambia’s copper resources are well documented. The country is the second largest producer of copper in Africa, after Republic of Congo. Dominated by four companies, such as Barrick Lumwana, FQM Kansanshi, Mopani and KCM, they account for 80% Zambia’s annual production and together have invested over US$ 17 billion into new mining projects between 2000 and now. There are considerable foreign investments in these projects from countries like Canada, China and India, besides a dozen more so fringe players. The Zambian government, through its investment-holding company ZCCM-IH, is a minority shareholder in nearly all of them – and is, in effect, the biggest shareholder in Zambia’s mining industry.
Will Zambia continue to be mostly an exporter of copper in the raw material form? “No”, shot back Her Excellency. “Priority now is to value add to the minerals mined out from the country. We insist on refining and other downstream and upstream projects that would boost our earnings and at the same to add to gainful employment. There are encouraging number of entities coming up in refining and processing of the copper and other raw materials,” she adds.
There is a perfect coordination between copper mines and power utilities in Zambia. Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) owns and operates an electricity transmission network in the Copperbelt areas. The company purchases electricity from ZESCO and sells this across its transmission network to the Zambian mining customers. “The arrangement is working well and the cooperation between the two entities help creating newer projects closer to mines and to feed them with adequate power since copper mining is a power intensive sector,” she points out. Also, CEC is a member of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and trades and wheels power within the pool.
Being a landlocked country, will Zambia face any problem in movement of goods and services across the borders? “Absolutely not: we have very friendly and cordial relationship with our neighbors, be it Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola et al. That has been the case from time immemorial. We are a stable and peace loving multi-party democracy, which has a history of having six presidents through free and fair elections,” she says and adds “Democracy, good governance and rule of law are our strengths and the force multiplier in beckoning more investments from all corners of the world.” Zambia is an important stakeholder in the just formed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) – the largest trade bloc in the world. On the question of movement of goods and services freely among the contracting parties of AfCFTA, she says that Zambia’s road and railway network are strong and a sizeable part of the railways lines are standard gauge. The country will continue to give more importance to building a good network of roads, rail lines and air connectivity linking Zambia with other parts of Africa, particularly the ports.
Coming specifically on India-Zambia growing relationship, Her Excellency was ecstatic. “Across the spectrum –political, economic and business, education, health, tourism and culture, the relationship is dynamic and enduring,” she points out. In the last six months of the calendar year, over US$100 million has been committed by three Indian companies- Prasad Seeds, Vagmi Cottons and OM Rollers for investment in Zambia. That takes the total investment from India to the vicinity of US$ 8 billion. With the type of reforms and initiatives towards ease of doing business, which Zambia is undertaking, she expects more investments at a higher pace is likely to come from Indian corporations in this calendar year itself. The excellent political relations have moved into a higher pedestal with the recent visit of Indian President Shri Ram Nath Kovind to Zambia. This will be reciprocated by the visit of His Excellency, Dr. Edgar, Chagwa Lungu, President of Republic of Zambia, later this year.
To top it, the two countries have signed four memorandums of understandings (MOUs) in 2018 in areas like avoidance of double taxation, judicial cooperation and training and for establishment of an Entrepreneurship Development Institute in Zambia. The upcoming hospital by Apollo group of hospitals of India in Zambia will further firm up the bilateral relations in the health sector, where there is a lot of opportunities for working together. Importantly, EXIM Bank of India has given a line of credit for construction of a 650 pre-fabricated health posts in Zambia. The growing number of Indian tourists visiting Zambia is another factor that will build bonhomie between the two countries in tourism sector, not to speak of the five star hotels operated by Taj Group and Avan group of hotels in Zambia.
It is befitting that the narration of interview, which started with a Zambian poem ends with another. Written by one Preston Mwiinga, the poem reads thus: “My dream for mother Zambia is to see … people coming together sharing their cultural values, religion, and looking at how best the country is to live in harmony. The nation of Zambia long to see, is a nation that will people (leave) politics aside where development is concerned……..Let the big brain, middle brain and those brains looked down upon be incorporated to achieve something best.” Could there be a better commentary on what ought to be a nation state than what is conveyed in these lines?
