Hitachi Construction Machinery has officially launched a US$ 15 million re-manufacturing plant which will be manufacturing Japanese mining equipment in Zambia.
This is the largest Japanese project in Africa which has so far employed 120 Zambians and is expected to soon engage 40 more local.It will re-manufacture large-scale mining equipment and export to various countries in southern Africa.
The project, situated on the road leading to the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, will benefit large-scale mines such as Lumwana in the North-Western Province.
Minister of Finance Alexander Chikwanda officially launched the plant. Other government officials who witnessed the launch were Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education John Phiri, Deputy Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Keith Mukata and Deputy Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development Richard Musukwa, who is in charge of large-scale mining.
Countries in the region that will benefit from the plant include Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Hitachi Construction Machinery Company vice-president Yukio Arima expressed gratitude to the Zambian government for facilitating the project.
“The Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) and other government bodies made a lot of efforts to make this project a reality. We are now convinced that ZDA is a trustworthy business partner,” Mr Arima said.
Mr Arima said the company settled for Lusaka because of its centrality in the region.He said Hitachi carried out feasibility studies in every part of Africa and Zambia was found to be ideal.
“This factory will be the central hub for our operations in Central and Southern Africa,” Mr Arima said.
He described the local people Hitachi has employed so far as highly skilled, serious and dedicated.
And Japanese Ambassador to Zambia Akio Egawa said in a speech read for him by embassy charge d’affairs Atsushi Kuwabara that the setting up of the plant in Lusaka has opened a new chapter in the Japan-Zambia economic relationship.
“I count on the Zambian leadership to uphold this friendly business environment with transparent regulations,” Mr Egawa said.
Mr Egawa said most Japanese businesses are not aware of Zambia’s friendly and conducive investment environment.
And Mr Chikwanda said the opening of a plant in Lusaka is an indication of the confidence investors have in the Zambian economy.
“Zambia will benefit in many ways from this project but mostly in the transfer of state-of-the-art technological skills,” Mr Chikwanda said.
He said the project will also bring in the country foreign exchange through exports of re-manufactured heavy equipment to other countries.
Mr.Chikwanda urged Japanese investors to take advantage of the Zambia’s huge investment opportunities in tourism, agriculture and manufacturing sectors.
Mr. Chikwanda observed that the current Japanese investment inflow into Zambia has remained low except in few areas like dealership and contractors and he hoped that the coming of Hitachi will attract more investors in the country.
He said Zambia has huge investment opportunities which Japanese investors can take advantage to invest in value addition such as one that will be provided in the multi facility economic zones which are under construction.
He added that government will, however, continue to dialogue with Japan in areas of official development assistance and in trade and investment.
The Minister reiterated his government’s continued policy improvement and initiatives that will strengthen the industrial sector in light of greater competiveness and integration of the world economy.
He has also pledged government support to the private sector initiatives that contribute to development and wealth creation.
Mr. Chikwanda has also commended Hitachi for investing in Zambia adding that the investment will bring more benefits to the country.
[Zanis/Daily Mail]
Thanks to RB!
And thanks to the current govt for policy continuity. That’s how it supposed to be in a democracy!
MMD had plan and a vision for Zambia. We thank RB for creating jobs and facilitating projects that plan-less PF is now commissioning.
Good and more money in our pockets….
Good news, and you lucky employees not ifyakulyamo at every slightest opportunity. Behave yourselves, we need to encourage decent investors from normal countries like Japan and from the west (not bloody Chinese).
Learn to appreciate, the Chinese are the real reason all these east Asian countries have started to invest in Zambia and Africa as a whole. The Built all the major railways in the world read your history.
Are you from Mars?! China is the second largest economy and is heading toward the number one slot. The whole world knows this except you.
“And Mr Chikwanda said the opening of a plant in Lusaka is an indication of the confidence investors have in the Zambian economy.”
Yes, at least in 2011 when the project was launched. But tell me, Mr. Chikwanda how many similar investments have been undertaken since September?
But this is the same Zambia! Even if the project was launched in 2011, any invest who felt unsecure after the change of government would have decided to call it quits. But because HITACH was still confident in the economy even with the Patriotic Front Government, they stayed and completed the plant. Yes we appreciate that this started with the MMD government but we also appreciate that the PF government kept this investment going. BRAVO to Zambia
And how long was RB in power before the launch of this project, 9 months?!!!
Leaderships come and go. We shall not look back and keep complaining. Projects are work in progress that previous govt leave for others to continue on. What about Tazara, what about the mines what about, school and road all over the country? where they all done by Banda? NO. Life goes on. PF will leave many things behind including a Province and District, and what more to come in the next 4 years?
Projects are started and developed by government wings like ZDA and not the executive office. ZDA is still continuing regardless of the party in government. Grow up. Zambia’s development is not because of politicians but hard working Zambian professionals. Learn to appreciate.
Thanks to our former wise president Banda. These are the Banda legacy that any reasonable Zambian can not dispute. PF guard this business venture carefully- mwitwalamo ubupuba bwenu bulya twaishiba. Teimwe mwafitampile ifi ni Banda uwa mano.
i thought it was not going to materialise but well, job well done. more please!!!!
Only 120 Zambians and only 40 more after. Hmm, someone should have an issue with this.
RB ni muntu aba bena ni chimbwi chabe
When people accused RB of always travelling these are the deals he was making.Just found out I can go to Brazil without a Visa thanks to RB.History will indeed Vindicate him.At least he had a plan…..
And yet you are the same people who have alread started complaining about Sata’s travels, how ironic!
that’s why he was voted in and he stopped listening to people that’s how the game is…IF PF misbehaves we will chuck them out…
If it’s true, it’s good news that Zambians can go to Brazil without a visa. When did Brazil stop requiring Zambians from needing entry visas? I travelled last year, after RB was out of power, and I had to get an entry visa.
@8,Chimbwi fimo fimo:
The so called “ba chimbwi” still have 4+ more years to go! They have just began the FDI compaigns around the world. Dindn’t Sata just got back from Europe doing exactly what brings foreign investments from abroad?
If I were you, I would give “ba chimbwi” chance—they might just have the last lough on this one!!!!!!
Yambayamba you are a wise man ,, please don’t waste your breath on these tribalists who want to put scorn on every thing good our govt does,,,,
The only thing they want is to see HE MCS fail,, impossible our president has big plans for our nation
Thank you to HE MCS and his govt for continuing with these projects & giving investors the much needed confidence to investor in our developing nation.
Thank to HE MCS & his govt ,,You have only been in govt for 9 months,, we expect great things in the 20 years of your government
Viva MCS and Viva PF and all peace loving Zambians
1 Zambia 1 nation
1 nation & 1 Leader
And that Leader MCS
Yaba I wish we didn’t kick out RB
@12, Octopus paul Bwalya:
Get over it, wa mu yayaya days are gone, welcome to the 21st century Zambia where multi-party democracy rules!!!!!
WELL DONE BA MCS AND THE PF GOVT TO ALLOW THE JAPANESE TO CONTINUE THEIR PROJECT AFTER WINNING THE SEPT 2011 ELECTIONS.THE PERMISSION TO ALLOW THE JAPANESE TO INVEST IN ZAMBIA BY THE MMD COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN CANCELLED BY PF GOVTBAFTER COMING INTO OFFICE SO MY HATS OFF TO BA SATA.VIVA BA SATA,VIVA PF MORE MONEY IN OUR POCKETS IS SURE COMING AS WE MUST REMEMBER ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY AND TO SHOW THAT PF IS WORKING THEY HAVE TO BE GIVEN ATLEAST 10 YEARS TO PROVE IT SINCE M.M.D. FINISHED ZAMBIA DURING THEIR 20 YEARS RULE..
japanese are good investors , this is a great development as we’ll be making money from the exports via taxes and local employment ,its also a very good looking building ….I hope the Japaneses manufacturing companies invest more into zambia , they also very good road builders compared to the sub standard stuff we’re getting , I hope the new lusaka highway system their supporting takes off. Now i’m off to the japanese cultural day, hope my Japanese is decent enough to bring up this topic.
Thanx mmd. Some people will only have nepotism and tribalism as their legacy. Rather than concentrating on building the nation, precious time is spent on witchhunts and making appointments to entrench nepotism and regionalism. Zambia needs a nationalist as a president and not a regional and tribal leader!
No need of thanking the PF on this one coz it is MMD & RB’s innitiative. unless a Patriotic Fool can thank the PF on this one.
Well done good investment. Next bring Kubota company also.
Some people will always say something negative about anything .Mr Banda and Mr Sata are not enemies. In fact they are both good at taking the mickey out of each other.Whilst you guys continue bickering on trivial stuff they enjoy family get together dinners and joke about people like you on the blog who have to take everything they say as serious.
Mwanawasa used to hold private meetings with Sata and told him a lot of things.Funny how some people still living in the past will continue holding ‘the grudge’ that is supposed to be between them!
@ Pippa – we don’t care about the friendship but what we are talking about is who brought the initiative and who deserve to be thanked.
One plants,the other one waters and then another one harvests.Everyone played a part and all should be thanked.
Thanks RB. Unlike these CNPs
When I visited their premises in Kitwe their employees looked scared. It’s like they are intimidated. I noticed a large presence of South African bazungu and no Japanese. Some lady had French accent. Welcome to the Zambian manufacturing sector where there are real shocks! I hope they will not bring in sub-assembled equipment and re-brand it: Made in Zambia
Is this plant in Kitwe or Lusaka? Help me!!!
‘Mr.Chikwanda urged Japanese investors to take advantage of the Zambia’s huge investment opportunities in tourism, agriculture and manufacturing sectors.’ Well spoken by Mr. Chikwanda to boost investor confidence. We need it, so help us God. The major problem however, is that Mr Chikwanda and President Sata are not on the same page w.r.t. tourism. The President is clearly against tourism and he does not see the huge potential in it at all. Hence the two are sending conflicting messages to potential investors around the world on tourism. And therin lies the problem, because investors will pay attention to what the Head of State says, not what the de facto vice President says.
MUBBWAN DONT BE A FOOL, WHAT DID RB DO DURING THE LAST GENERAL ELECTIONS ? HAVE YOU FORGOTTON YOU FOOL THAT R.B HAD HIS PHOTO ON BIG BILLBOARDS ALL OVER LUSAKA BRAGGING YOUR GOVT AT WORK,YOU FOOLS TRIED TO FOOL ZAMBIANS BY TAKING CREDIT THAT THE MAKENI TURN OFF ROAD WHICH WAS BEING REGRADED WAS COMMISSINED DURING LATE MWANSWASA WAS THE WORK OF R.B. .THE PF GOVT IS NOT BRAGGING AS THE MMD DID. BASATA COULD HAVE EASILY TOLD THE JAPS TO PACK UP AND LEAVE ZAMBIA. MORE JAPS WILL BE INVESTING IN ZAMBIA WITH THE PF GOVT IN VERY NEAR FUTURE. JAPANESE PRODUCTS ARE MUCH BETTER THAN THE CHINESE SO MORE COUNTRIES IN THE SOUTHERN AFRICA REGION WILL BENEFIT FROM ZAMBIA. VIVA BA SATA VIVA PF OUR PF GOVT ARE WORKING FOR MORE KWACHAS IN YOUR POCKETS. IWE MUBBWANA MAICHE ZONDA UZA LEMA
19 Mubbwana
I look at it from a workplace perspective.My PA may not initiate the plan but she plays a major role in facilitating the activities without which my plan would not be implemented.As long as we are all trying to achieve the same goal despite our differences we are a team.
One plants,the other one waters and then another one harvests.Everyone played a part and all should be thanked.
Lovely.Eh boom iyi.
@yambayamba,
The plant is in lusaka along kk airport road….
Zambia is really an impoverished nation, everytime begging for other to invets in zambia, why cant you invest in Japan? No wonder people in zambia are too backwards, and iam sure the employed ones will just be bamakanika just putting parts together, laboratory technicians to do specialised testing as well as fitting will come from Japan or china.
Thanks RB though they kicked you out but i know Hitachi will give u a free excavator oh i forgot thandiwe stole ur US$36,000 in the bedroom yaba, problem u didnt tell her u had that money that night.
#25.many impoverish nations have invested in other countries as well athough to a small scale but not all is for public to know.learn to to ur homework.as for laboratory tech,ur claim might be done in a short period of time as the zedian are been trained in practical work as opposed to the theory on paper.
This was RUPIAH BANDA’s project. Plain and simple. Fine, PF have come in to officiate the opening, but the truth is if RUPIAH was as dull as some of the PF government officials HITACHI would not have come to Zambia. Chikubabani ba PF but that is the truth and so, THANK YOU TO RB. PF can be appreciated for continuing with the policy but give Rupiah his credit because it is NOT PF who invited HITACHI to Zambia. Whether you like it or not. Start your own projects if you want people to thank you directly. That is why we keep telling you that your PF is simply running around like a chimbwi-no-plan. Rupiah’s government may have had its weakenesses but it brought to Zambia numerous investments and some of you PF cadres actually work in those companies brought by MMD. Full Stop.
RB is still working though he is out of office. PF should give credit to MMD for projects like this one. They should have at least invited RB to attend also. Never mind RB, you are still in our history books.
Its just ludicrous to read that bloggers are thanking BUFFOON RB for this, remember that his government wasn’t using their own personal credit cards to woo investors, thanking him is likened to thanking the municipal council for patching up potholes or unblocking the drains in your area that’s why you put them there. Read the article & you will see that the Hitachi VP Yukio Arima, he says “We are now convinced that ZDA is a trustworthy business partner” meaning that unlike before when it was corrupt hence the reason we went ahead with the project.
This is just a drop in the ocean & is an assembling plant merely putting things together no skills involved what we should be thriving for is manufacturing jobs…taking advantage of our “centrality” by improving transport networks.
The plan is to say these guys had changed their minds and only came because PF took over. That way we will score our first job creation project……infact this should be seen as having taken place within 90 days.
# 31 JAY JAY – this is politics. If you have PF cadres wanting to heap all the credit for the project on PF and Sata, you are definitely going to have MMD supporters putting the record straight. Sata himself is not perfect, just check his decisions since he took over power – very few of them make sense. His government has been single-sourcing most of the projects since September 2011 when they won elections. But we can live with that because he is already in power. However, don’t trivialise what RB and MMD for the years they were in power. Michael Sata was the last person to leave Kaunda in 1990, so infact if it wasn’t for MMD founders (excluding Sata) UNIP would still be in power. You PF cadres have conveniently short memories. Good for you!!
You SHOULD applaud politicians for policy changes, not mere window dressing gestures…That Hitachi Construction Machinery is getting business not only in the booming mining sector but also in the construction sector and Agricultural sector in DRC, Bostwana, Zambia, RSA, Malawi, Angola, Mozambique, Tanzania etc.
If we had smart negotiators at ZDA they would have convinced the company to bring-in some of the highly skilled transferable jobs, not mere forklifting and production operatives vacancies.
Wake up!
Hitachi had opened a point of trade offices and warehouse in Kitwe some 5 to 8 years ago. They came to service their mining clients on the CB, North-western province and Katanga province in Congo. They’d planned to keep a low key but business boomed to the point that it became economical for them to house their products within the country and initially chose Ndola for the plant. But then the size of the investment called in the governments, the MMD and the Japanese governments. This brought in the political angle, and it was decided that the plant be constructed in Lusaka. Market forces and the enabling environment established by the Mwadya Mweka Daddy brought this investment to Zambia and political forces made it’s location be in Lusaka.
Thank you Michael!
Chitapi-meno-ngwe-mutu
Are you a politician?????
As long as you are busy squabbling over rotten breadcrumbs and name calling…the ruling party of the day will forever get away with tackling major pressing issues and the poor will become even poorer. You guys are likened to slaves on a slaveship arguing with one another on who has the shininess chain on.
Are you aware that Zambia earned a meagre $50m from mining royalty revenues in 2009 from a combined revenue receipt bill of $5bn….now you tell me do you think if these resources were in Britain do you think the British would sit on their hands and let this daylight robbery continue?
Wake up!!
Rycus
Exactly here is a foreign company who has seen a gap in the market and has decided set-up shop here due to high foreseeable industrial activity and these bloggers instead of putting on their thinking caps and exploring future opportunities are busy arguing about utter rubbish…no wonder you will forever be mere employees and mere followers like cattle.
Even you can approach Hitachi’s rivals; Catapilar or Scania or Hyundai and franchise with them to set up an assembly plant.
Wake up!!
On this one project I thank Rupiah Banda. A vision that was initiated by the late great Levy Mwanawasa.
Mwanawakwitu
What vision is that ?? Was Levy Mwanawasa on the Hitachi board of directors??
#37 JAY JAY – I take your point my dear. I was just raising the point that Zambia is getting polarised to the point where no matter what wrong is committed the supporters of that particular party will always praise or defend if vehemently….and that is fine with me, as long as when good things appear such people should not claim where they didn’t sow. It is a sad situation but that is the reality of politics in Zambia today. Your words are words of wisdom, infact you are a rare kind of Zambian nowadays to be honest, and I do agree with you. No I’m not a politician and I have no particular favourite party, but I believe in realism and fairness rather than die-hard political extremism that is threatening to evolve into terrorism in Zambia soon. cheers.
Thanks RB this project still casts a positive shadow of your investment focussed adminstration long after you left office.The pathetic fools running the show now are only focussed on retribution and regionalism.All the positive economic indicators you left are now starting to go south because we have dunderheads who don’t have a clue how to run an economy.Thanks a million RB.
Its only in Zambia where a previous govt is praised unnecessarily. The Previous govt assault on the country is so massive and being felt in every corner of the country. The unemployment being witnessed today was generated by MMD. The Load shedding being experienced today was as a result of MMDs siphoning of funds from Zesco for its campaigns. I often wonder why some people obviously with small minds will admonish the PF for unemployment they never created and praise RB for the investment by the Japanese. If theJapanese followed MMD why didn’t they pull out after the thumping of the MMD at the Polls in September. Parties come and parties go but Zambia remains. Please lets wake up and start preparing for 2016 instead of making empty noise and some opposition leaders barking like rabbid dogs
Bweziness…you do realise that Sata,Guy Scott et al spent more years in MMD than RB right? RB was in UNIP till Mwanawasa brought him into a leadership position.RB ruled for 3 years only Sata was there at the very beginning of the rot of the Zambian system of governance under MMD.
The Japanese came because of our centrality! They want to be selling the equipment to east, central and southern africa. That is why they came to Zambia, not because of RB.
Mr Arima said the company settled for Lusaka because of its centrality in the region. He said Hitachi carried out feasibility studies in every part of Africa and Zambia was found to be ideal.
This is the CRUX of the matter and could be extended to air travel, making Lusaka a hu like Nairobi or Addis. Cut the political crap about RB or MCS. Japanese are very risk averse businessmen and their business decisions are base on Feasibility studies and not political parties. Bloggers please some books
RB chinshi? His bweziness SHREK. If he was so good why did Zambians kick him out uh??? I agree with my brother who is asking these dunderhead handclapper why we have so much unemployment, why ZESCO can’t generate enough power. I add, why do we have bad roads? Why do people build houses so close to highways which are supposed to be expanded. Why build even under ZESCO pylons. Why??? MMD!
Thanks to RB zoona. You meant real business and more jobs to all Zambians not these Chimbwi No Plan marubbish. I end here!
MMD is a party of corrupt fellows who sold or privatised companies, closed or liquidated them altogether like livingstone fiat motors, ndola’s landrover, colgate palmolive, exide batteries, dunlop, reckitt & colman, johnson & johnson. Other are Mwinilunga fruits, Mongu cashew, mansa batteries, luangwa bicycles, kapiri glass, mulungushi textiles, kafue fabrics etc left by UNIP! You killed these. Has PF killed any uh???
Dull handclappers. Your RB hangover still on? No more of Shrek and MMD. You want to make a lot of noise over one investment which came by itself? The boys and girls that need jobs now were born in 1991, together with MMD. What did this corrupt party prepare in terms of job creation? Nothing! What has PF killed of your projects? Corruption only! So what nonsense is this about SHREK?
Who said PF is chasing away investors?
MMD had plan and a vision for Zambia. We thank RB for creating jobs and facilitating projects that plan-less PF is now commissioning.
We should the hungry children thank the drunkard father for putting cabbage on the table every day? Because
a.) they might lose the little cabbage they get
b.) this has become the norm and they should be grateful for the crumbs they get
c.) he is the only father they know
d.) they are nice little very grateful children
e.) the children have been indoctrinated to think that other children who have chicken and fish have fathers who are crooks and criminals
SOME BLOGGERS!!!!! THANK WHO EVER YOU WANT,BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS ANYTHING THAT HELPS TO DEVELOP ZAMBIA AND GIVE JOBS TO ZEDIANS IS WELLCOME!!!! BE IT ALABI OR MCS EFFORT, AFTER ROLE THATS WHAT THEY ARE PAID FOR!
Only when you understand what a re-manufacturing plant is and what it requires will you see how trivial this plant is and should have been opened by the Lusaka Mayor not this Chikwanda…when are we going to wake up, we are still being bribed with mere sweets!!
Wake up!!
Not everyone giving credit to RB is an MMD. Give credit where credit is due. We give credit to PF for allowing the plant to continue. But give credit to RB for initiating the project. MMD had weaknesses and thieves, but they had a plan. What plan have PF got? More corrupt people are being appointed to top positions simply because they belong to a certain tribe.
People can be foolishly funny mwe. Did you expect major policy shifts like in 1991? It is not necessary at all. It is wise and prudent to continue with good policies but make necessary adjustments. We continue to encourage private sector investments but also grow the public sector for employment creation.
Funny how when MMD was in power the opposition PF attacked their policies and promised to change things around,infact promised changes in 90days.Now we are hearing that No in fact those policies were good? Was it just a way to get to state house.Same Sh…i …t different toilet.
Same toilet, different shit. Even when PF was in opposition did one bother to understand its economic agenda? It was the same even then! What matters are areas of emphasis and conduct. Any policy shift by democrats from republicans? It is basically capitalism, with variations in who should pay more tax and stuff. So the PF is not going to invent an economic model to experiment. Rather, improve upon the situation.
Rupiah brought more uLupiya for sure!
Top that Chimbwi No Plan!!!!!
but why not putting up a plant on the copperbelt
PF Chibwi no plan…………..that plan was mmd brain child.
Really impressive! It is good to see such initiatives come to reality. It looks like ZDA need to be highly commended for this effort. Hope to see more of such solid investments coming to the country.
MANJE RB NAYEVE 6 PIN DOLLAR INASOBA BWAAAANJI MU BOO BA?????… INAMELA MWENDO…OLO MADAMU ANA FAKA PE ZUBA SIIFIKA DOLLAR MDALA HAHAHA
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