Why Do Foreigners Own Everything? The Hard Truth We Must Face

Why Do Foreigners Own Everything? The Hard Truth We Must Face

By Kennedy Chileshe, Executive Director of Jubilee Leaders Network

My fellow Zambians, we have all heard the complaint. We say it at the bus stop, we say it at the barbershop, and we say it at family gatherings. “Everything in this country is owned by foreigners.” We point fingers at the Chinese, the South Africans, the Europeans, and we ask, “Why are they the ones building big businesses while we are left to struggle?”

I am here today to tell you that the answer to that question is painful. It is not the foreigners who are our greatest enemy. Our greatest enemy is the person we see in the mirror every morning. The problem is not that they are too strong. The problem is that we are too divided and too self-centered.

The Foreigner’s Secret: They Work Together

Let us look at the facts. When a foreign investor comes to Zambia, they do not come as a single person with a pocket full of cash. They come as a company, a group, a partnership. The Zambia Development Agency offers tax exemptions to attract  investment, both local and international investment. This creates a lot of anger among citizens because some think it is a reserve if foreign investment. But have we asked ourselves why these investors are able to take advantage of those offers while we sit on the sidelines?

The answer is simple: Capital.

Foreign companies can raise millions of kwacha because they pool resources. They have a group of people who trust each other. They sign agreements. They build equity. They form a board. They create an institution that can survive beyond one person. We, on the other hand, prefer to work alone. Most Zambians want to be “big bosses” who do not answer to anyone. We are individualistic.

The Zambian Mentality: Why We Struggle

Consider the idea of starting an Oil Marketing Company (OMC) like Indeni Energy, which is a state-owned enterprise that has evolved into a licensed company to meet national fuel demand. Imagine if we, as a community, said, “Let us put our money together to buy a fuel tanker and start our own OMC.”

How many of us would contribute?

Even if we did, what would happen? Some of us would be looking for the smallest loophole to steal from the group. We would want to be the one holding the cash box. We would want to pocket the profits. This is the sad reality. The IMF recently noted that only 10% of Zambian firms have access to bank credit, meaning most of us rely on personal savings because we cannot trust each other enough to form strong groups that banks can lend to.

The Cooperative Solution: Look at Our Farmers

But there is hope. We do not need to copy foreigners to succeed. We need to look at our own brothers and sisters who are already doing it right. In the Eastern Province, groups like the COMACO cooperative network have brought together over 230,000 farmers. They work together. They share information. They bulk their crops together so they can sell at better prices.

In Pemba District, the Kaba Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society Limited started by contributing goats. They did not wait for a handout. They pooled their goats together, sold them, and used the money to register an Airtel Money booth and invest in farming equipment. They realized that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

These cooperatives do not steal from each other. Why? Because they have checks and balances. They have elected leaders. They have rules. They have transparency.

Why the Playing Field Seems Uneven

Many citizens are angry because they feel the government prioritizes foreign investors. The tax breaks given to mining giants often make Zambians feel like foreigners get a free ride while we are taxed heavily. The incentives are for both local and international investment.

The government is looking for guaranteed growth. Until we, as Zambians, can present ourselves as a “sure bet” by forming companies, cooperatives, and trusts, we will continue to think we are  overlooked.

We must stop looking for quick money.  We can build wealth in Agriculture, mining, tourism and many other sectors.

We need to build institutions. We need to contribute to the Zambia National Building Society. We need to form village banking groups. We need to support our local cooperatives. Most importantly, we need to stop seeing our fellow Zambian as a competitor to be cheated, and start seeing them as a partner to be trusted.

When we change our mentality, the government will has enough tax incentives for us to benefit from. When we are united, we will be able to raise the capital that foreign companies raise. When we stop stealing from ourselves, we will build equity.

We are the masters of our own destiny. Let us build institutions that will last for our children. Let us stop blaming the foreigner and start looking at ourselves. The solution is in our hands. Let us work together.

God bless Zambia.

Kennedy Chileshe
Executive Director,
Jubilee Leaders Network