ZAMBIAN YOUTHS EMULATE KENYAN YOUTHS, ANDYFORD BANDA WRITES …
Zambia’s Youths, Emulate Kenyan youths who have rejected higher taxes and more debt accumulation
The controversial finance bill in Kenya which is being rejected by the majority driven by the Gen-Z revolution is not different from what we are seeing in Zambia. In essence the idea of the bill is to raise taxes on a number of items so that the money raised can be pushed back in the economy that is if it will with rampant abuse and corruption. That’s very wrong.
In Zambia the idea is that let’s go round the world and auction as many mines as possible, a few jobs will be created, when we get to the target of producing 3 million tons of copper per year we will have enough taxes to push in the economy.
That’s where the formula of African economics misses it. For starters there is no chance government taxes will bring development.
Secondly by the time you hit 3 million tons and after auctioning all the mines, population growth won’t wait for you while foreigners are taking out their profits leaving you with meagre resources to deal with the needs of a larger population.
What we need is to build local enterprises so that when they make that profit they can reinvest within the local economy as opposed to repatriating to other foreign lands. That’s when development will happen faster. No two ways.
I am not sure what’s so difficult to understand this simple formula by African leaders. America, Europe, China, Japan and the gulf states all have local enterprises in additional to sending capital to poor countries in Africa to import more profits. Why do we think we will develop Africa or Zambia by relying on foreigners ?
In fact nowadays with technology for example in the mines, systems are highly mechanized requiring very little human intervention. Mining companies are making more profits than before needing no incentives which we have given in Zambia. So all the profits which should be reinvested in Zambia if it was a locally owned mine are being repatriated to develop the home economies of these multinational companies. The ratio is 30/70. 30 remains (if its paid) and 70 repatriated.
We should therefore stop being brain washed and wake up. Let’s stop the pull him down syndrome and celebrate all the local businesses and support them as much as we can. It’s better to have our own local millionaires than foreign. Don’t be jealous your children will need to find jobs in the future and the economy can only grow and be strong by having a significant local people participate in it. Don’t be too Americanized or stuff like that, support local industries.
All we need is a system that lets everyone regardless of political or tribal affiliation succeed. We need a system that gives chance to all and let the best ideas flourish.
“We should not lessen our efforts to get the money we really need. It would be more appropriate for us to spend time in the villages showing the people how to bring about development through their own efforts rather than going on so many long and expensive journeys abroad in search of development money.” – President Julius Nyerere
These IMF and World Bank people pretend like they dont know why we are poor, they know. Abash colonial economic systems and in solidarity #REJECTFINANCEBILLINKENYA2024
I agree with you 100%. No Foreigner will develop your country. They come for money, simple. Multinationals are criminals, a curtail where rookie presidents fall into their traps.
Iwe ka Andy Ford, (not sure if you Andy and the Ford meaning a Ford car from America but, anyway): Your rhetoric is very stupid sir, you yourself was together with the PF for the past 10years before this new GRZ, why didn’t you and your party empower locals as u insinuated above? Why not? Cos you had all the time to make your “wet” dreams come true? Even that technology u are yapping about, what technology does or do Zambians make? Non,meaning, if we are to go tech, as u wet dreamed ,it means we export all these jobs-stinky filthy politician – go brush your dirty mouth pls, before you open it in piblic. Thamkyou.
Andyford is right
Andyford Banda is still full of theories and no tangible solutions to the youth unemployment problem. Even if you are saying HH has failed but through his vision, Zambian youths are better looked after than their Kenyan counterparts. For example, Zambian youths were given the black mountain and up to now they are still benefiting from it. Then HH and his ND came up with a Ministry of SMED which gives a lot of youth empowerment programmes, then we have CDF which gives loans and grants to youths and women and those who are serious are doing very fine. Besides that, Zambian youths are strongly encouraged to venture into areas like Agriculture, Artisanal Mining and Tourism. Those youths who are wise have now realized that they have more opportunities in entrepreneurship than even in formal employment, the sky is the limit. So the solution to youth unemployment is not in protests but in self employment with the support from the Government and we are doing that and are well ahead of others. Of course not forgetting about fighting corruption. Politics and politicians are the ones that spoiled our youths, they taught them the life of cadrerism and handouts but those days are long gone. Each person whether youth or old should be responsible for his/her own life, government is there to support and not to give free food or handouts.
Let the Zambian youth be themselves not a copy of something else they are not an inferior type. Just know how to motivate them properly…
Rather myopic outlook Mr. Banda. Is suggesting and inciting Zambian youths to protest? That in itself is a criminal act.
Mr. Banda how many youth empowerment schemes are they under the current regime? Yes, some existed under PF. But how open and transparent were they?
If you want to rate HH as failure, is it not because natural phemoneon? Did HH create the draught? One would have thought a person like you would stop thinking in a linear plane and take into account extraneous aspects of why targets or election promises have not been attained to the letter?
Ba Banda, who has stopped you from owning a mine? Or any other business for that matter?
The problem with us Zambians is that we are good at criticising but very poor when it comes to practical solutions. Our biggest challenge is that we donot want to do the hard things that move nations forward. Look at the West Africans, Senegalese, Malians, et al, they covered large distances and faced language barrier but they have profited immensely from our high quality emeralds. They have used our emeralds to develop their countries because they are adventurous risk takers.
No amount of empowerment will instil a sense of adventure and entrepreneurship in the sleepy Zambian youth who only think of formal employment after acquiring some qualification from our now disfucntional education system.
Then, as if this is not bad enough, we have a disoriented political leadership who see solutions in protests and confrontation and sarcasm.
Ba Banda the solution is not in the youths protesting but rather their seizing the initiative and starting on a journey with whatever little they have. They must go after the money and not wait for the money to come to them. I am speaking from experience. Iam a retiree with no pension but I and my wife (senior citizens) run two businesses separately. I was lucky to work for high profile multinationals and the mines who taught me business sense. That, was my pension.