By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba
Before we consider unbundling ZESCO into separate units such as generation, transmission, distribution and retail, let us pause.
ZESCO Ltd is an $11billion company and one of the biggest utility companies in Africa.
Before anyone casts negative narrative to show that it’s loss-making, highly indebted and requires immediate privatisation ( or those high sounding words like “equity partner”), pause and let’s have sound debate driven by national interests.
ZCCM-IH is a $1billion company and owns minority shareholding in most mines except the new ones (a corrupt reason is behind that).
ZCCM-IH can run those mines if given leverage and capacity.
It is regrettable that ZCCM-IH is made to standby and watch economic activities in a sector they should dominate.
Succeeding governments have made plans about the mining sector excluding ZCCM-IH to the plans.
Let us remove invasive government control and allow our professionals led by boards and competent professionals to run these companies. Privatizing them may not be the solution.
Zambia twalipalwa! We shouldn’t give away this country.