By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba
Minister of Health, Sylvia Masebo says Government will procure medicines and medical supplies directly from countries that produce them.
She joins ZESCO Limited who made a deliberate decision to import wooden poles and electricity requisite supplies from Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The Minister of Energy has made similar pronouncements in relation to petroleum products.
This is, according to them, designed to cut middlemen, cut costs and serve government resources.
There is a concerted chorus against and the criminalisation of all intermediary businesses by government officials.
They are branded as middle-men, treated as exploitative entities against the State by the New Dawn Government.
INTERMEDIARY BUSINESSES
International manufacturing companies rely on business intermediaries to help their products reach other countries and consumers.
There are various types of supply chain intermediaries that include; wholesalers, retailers, agents, dealerships, and white Label Buyers.
They make it easier for buyers to find what they need, they help set standards, and they enable comparison shopping—efficiency improvements that keep markets working smoothly.
Therefore, the concerted efforts against intermediary businesses is happening in a country where the manufacturing and associated industries were exterminated by government implementing wanton liberal policies.
A highly urbanized country, with a growing industrialised base in Southern Africa, was reduced to an all import-dependent country by the implementation of wholesale liberal and privatisation policies.
Since then the manufacturing industry has been making a steady come-back with subsequent government crafting and implementing industrialisation policies in support of the sector.
BUY ZAMBIA CAMPAIGN
So instead of pushing a local supplier development plan that promotes skills and skills transfer, localisation of local content, manufacturing and training, this Government is determined to kill all forms of local development and the nascent manufacturing or assembly industry that has been emerging.
Infact , the “Buy Zambian Campaign, Buy Local” is mere rhetoric, placed in speeches designed to impress and not implement.
This Government has chosen to promote direct imports, externalise foreign exchange resources, and collapse any form of local manufacturing and suppliers’ development that has been taking place.
For example, in Zambia, various firms manufacture drugs under warrant or franchise, but Masebo is keen to destroy them.
Similarly, ZESCO Management has not demonstrated keenness to support ZAFFICO and Copperbelt Forest Company, or any company that would establish a pole treatment plant.
Similarly those “middle-men” with capacity to import, supply and deliver poles have been by-passed.
Infact, Minister of Energy, Peter Kapala says ZESCO will not participate in entrepreneurial development, job-creation, or empowerment schemes that promote local suppliers or entrepreneurs.
He said such programmes are political and ZESCO is not available for such schemes.
A GOVERNMENT KEEN TO DESTROY LOCAL INDUSTRY
I don’t know if this Government recognises that it provides the largest spend, other than the mines and a few firms in the private sector, their entire national budget is a spend on public service emoluments; and the provision of goods, works and services.
This is a large financial resource outlay.
Government and State-owned enterprises are part of the integral economy and can play a central national development role.
But this Government is keen to spend these resources abroad, provide jobs abroad, promote value chains abroad and destroy the local capacities that have been created over the years.
Their actions will decimate local industries and value chains that have been established as a recovery to the pre-industrialsed era.
I thought as a business man, President Hakainde Hichilema, who made his wealth from government, would foster a more favourable environment for the private sector.
Infact, in sectors where we want Government to cut middle-men, like the oil sector, they have promoted them, replaced the “PF” middle-men with the “UPND” middle-men.
Instead of establishing a solid plan to revive Indeni Petroleum Refinery and the TAZAMA Pipeline, they have abandoned the strategic national assets in preference for importation of petroleum products using trucks.
A difficult period for business entities and tough times lay ahead.
As every entrepreneur, every business that obtained contracts from government are treated as members of the former ruling party, Patriotic Front, who will NOT be paid for their goods, works and services, and need to be punished and bankrupted.