MIKALILE, AN ENTREPRENEUR WHO SHOULD INSPIRE EVERY NORMAL ZAMBIAN-Actually, the government of Zambia borrowed 300 million dollars from Mikalile, at least 5 years ago to finance public service delivery.
As we talk about the famous debt restructuring, did you even know that Mikalile Trading Company of Hong Kong, wholly owned by a Zambian entrepreneur, Dr. Stephen Mulenga Mikalile is the only Zambian company on the list of Zambia’s external creditors?
Briefly, Dr. Stephen Mulenga is the chairman of the Mika Group of Companies. Under this umbrella; he owns Mika Hotels & Hospitality which includes a number of hotels in Lusaka and Livingstone. He owns a major meat processing and butchery company with operations in Zambia and Tanzania called “Mika Meats”. In importing and exporting of office and home furniture and building materials in 2006 he opened Mikalile Trading Ltd which remains operational and has expand across Zambia and beyond borders. He also runs Mika Clearing & Forwarding, which is more active in Tanzania. The company is also into farming as well as mining and has presence in Zambia, Tanzania, Angola, and China.
Echoing the above, according to Africa Business Pages website, Mikalile started business in the year, 2000. His main business was supplying electronic goods, furniture, baby gifts, and general merchandise to different shop owners on the Copperbelt, Kabwe and Lusaka.
His company imported the listed items from around the world: dealing directly with manufacturers from South America, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Thailand and South Korea-which made their prices very competitive.
Mikalile has supplied and delivered goods to many institutions, both public and private such as; Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Local Government, Legal Aid Board, The National Assembly, Mulungushi Conference Center, Ministry of Defense (Zambia Army, ZNS, ZAF), The University of Zambia, Evelyn Hone College, Ministry of Works and Supply, Chainama Hills College Hospital, Zambia Telecommunications Company LTD, Ministry of Health, UTH, WHO, ZRA, National Museum Board, ZESCO Ltd, Lusaka City Council, Zambia National Building Society, Ministry of Tourism, TAZARA, MTN Zambia, the list is endless….
You may ask what has been Mikalile supplying to the above listed Ministries and companies, let me just mention a few for you;
According to the Auditor’s General report , in 2016, Ministry of Home Affairs entered into a contract with Mikalile Trading Company Ltd of Hong Kong to supply police uniforms and equipment at $59,997,107-without confirming the availability of funds. And following the non-availability of funds, the Ministry of Finance further signed a Supplier Credit Agreement with Mikalile Trading Company Limited of Hong Kong at a sum of $69,869,630.23, that included interest of $8,909,570 and arrangement fees of $989,952.
Note: companies are always willing to do business with governments on credit, knowing that governments do not default.
According to the Ministry of Finance’s Debt Summary Report, In 2017, the Ministry of Education signed a contract with Mikalile Trading Company worth US$401,838,720 for the supply and installation of school materials and equipment……
When I see Mikalile winning entrepreneurship awards, I see a hardworking man being recognized.
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