The Analysis: MoU´s in business are not cast in stone
…they are just promises says Amb. Anthony Mukwita
From KBN TV-23.01.22
Zambians should not be excited about announcements regarding Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) that are signed by the government because they are mere promises said Ambassador Anthony Mukwita on ´The Analysis´ beamed live on KBN TV on Sunday.
Ambassador Mukwita was reacting to news of a US$2billion Solar energy MoU Zambia has signed with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) company Masdar that could add 2000 megawatts to the Zambian power grid if it is actualised.
“There´s no need for excitement about the Abu Dhabi MoU and many others that have been signed by the government since they assumed office because they are mere promissory notes until they are actualised so let’s wait and see,” said Ambassador Mukwita.
Mr Mukwita, however, commended the government of President Hakainde Hichilema for actually making efforts to address the critical power situation in Zambia instead of blaming someone else as the situation has been in the past.
“I believe President Hichilema and team deserve commendation for actually doing something to correct the power situation,” said Ambassador Mukwita.
In his (Mukwita) experience according to The Analysis, MoU´s sometimes amount to nothing if not followed up diligently so, “it ain´t over until the fat lady sings.”
There has been jubilation among sympathisers of the Zambian government following an announcement to Reuters by President Hichilema from Abu Dhabi that Zambia could get a stake in a solar deal that could end chronic loadshedding that has hurt business in Zambia going on for over hours on end in recent months.
The most hurt category of people has been poor ordinary Zambians that sell nshima in the market, cut hair in the barber shops and women braiding hair in salons, the poorest of poor Zambians, as the country exports power to neighbouring countries such as South Africa and Namibia.
Mr Mukwita also hastened to state that apart from MoU´s, its sad that government officials since assuming office in 2021 have been boasting about an apparent more than 50 percent up surge in foreign direct investment (FDI) in Zambia saying the reality is that the surge is a just pledge, “We have been hearing a lot of great news around increased investment from abroad in the last few months and yet the reality is what is being boasted about are just pledges…pledges are not actual investment they are just intentions so maybe we must wait before we boast until the pledges are turned into actual investment until a foundation stone is laid.”
On the same programme co hosted by KBN TV owner pastor Kennedy Mambwe and Wiseman Zulu, the pastor bemoaned the fact that the cost of living in Zambia has dipped so low in recent months as poverty bites forcing young women into prostitution and young men into a life of crime.
“We have a situation where our young ladies here in North mead (Lusaka) are selling their bodies to earn a living and young men are turning to crime due to gross poverty, which must be stopped,” said pastor Mambwe.
Mr Wiseman Zulu said in the spirit of national development, the government must fulfil its campaign promises of reducing the prices of expensive mealie meal, fertiliser, and fuel in order to cushion the suffering of majority Zambians wallowing in acute poverty.
The Analysis airs live on KBN TV, DSTV and Go Tv including Facebook every Sunday evening for an hour from 20:30 hrs from the KBN Tv studios in North mead.
Its main purpose is to add a balanced voice to the socio economic political discourse in the nation in an issue based objective fashion.
Below is the link for the full issue packed interview that is gaining huge traction in Zambia and abroad: