Newly appointed Zambian Ambassador to the United States of America Sheila Siwela has called on Zambians living in the Diaspora to show their commitment and partnership back home in Zambia
Ambassador Siwela said there was need for Zambians living abroad to join hands to change the image of Zambia and further scale up their efforts towards the realization of improved live hood of the people of their country.
This is contained in press statement made available to ZANIS by first Secretary for Press Ben Kangwa in Lusaka today.
She said this at the launch of a campaign dubbed “Give back to Zambia Campaign” held at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in United States .
“I am on a “Give back to Zambia Campaign’’ to harness you as Zambians in the Diaspora to help develop the country through your connections with communities you have adopted in order to bring meaningful investment in various sectors of the Zambian economy.’’ She said.
Addressing Zambian nationals, Mrs Siwela also called on Zambians in the Diaspora to contribute their share in the country’s economic growth by using the prevailing investment friendly atmosphere in Zambia.
She said the Zambian government valued all Zambians living in the United States of America (USA) regardless of ethnicity, tribe, gender or status of life.
Mrs Siwela stated that she was working following a directive from President Rupiah Banda that she should engage all Zambians in the United States with a view to luring them to partner with Government in the development of the country.
The Ambassador urged Zambians living abroad to always portray their motherland Zambia positively in the communities they lived in.
She said Government would extend all its support towards the joint effort in their overall development.
Mrs SSiwela further urged Zambians in the Diaspora to take advantage of the Diaspora desk at State House whose main objective was to enhance their participation in the development of the nation.
‘The Diaspora desk is meant to open lines of communication between the Diaspora and the Government adding that its aim is to bring Zambians on board as co-workers in the national development agenda,” she said.
ZANIS
Ba Lusaka Times, she is Mrs Sheila Siwela not Siwale.
I bet most of the people at that function were looking at her like she was speaking chinese, especially that part where she says ” Zambian Govt values all Zambians living in the US”. Child please!
Please, Rupiah ***** banda is looking at ways to tax us’ that is the development he is talking about. zambian economy is about waka ni wako!!
You can start by straightening out the response to the “Passport issuing” mess at that office! How do you expect Zambians abroad to be positive about their Country if they can’t even get things such as a Passport in good time so they can travel and engage in commerce back home? You people at the embassy act like you are all novices who don’t know what your duties are towards Zambian citizens living abroad. You treat us like traitors who deserve nothing but Mediocre Services from you people.
Start there, Mrs Siwela, and you will have a much easier task of convincing Zambians in the Diaspora to support your govt’s programs back home. Having lived abroad, most Diasporans know what a “working” govt looks like, and they expect Zambia to do better after 45+ years of Independence!
Welcome to America. Diaspora desk? What is their email, fax, or phone number> Until you people show genuine interest in us, we will not take your invitations seriously. When are we going to be able to vote in general elections from abroad? We are still waiting for the dual citizenship law to take effect. We are waiting for you to show us what you can do for your citizens and then you don’t have to persuade us to invest as we will already have confidence in the govt. The ball is in your court.
BAUZE MBUYE. AMACHONA BA-DIASPORA. PLEASE BA-DIASPORA DON’T OVER-EAT AMA-DOLLAR AND END UP MR SUPER A PHIRI ANABWELA.KWANU NIKWANU.
This is what you get when you attempt to log onto State House web site:
“Warning: Visiting this site may harm your computer!
The website at fgnfdfthrv.bee.pl appears to host malware – software that can hurt your computer or otherwise operate without your consent. Just visiting a site that hosts malware can infect your computer.
For detailed information about the problems with this site, visit the Google Safe Browsing diagnostic page for fgnfdfthrv.bee.pl.”
Aint nibbling on that bait, uh oh!!!
:o! Doesn’t she know that a good number of Zambians living abroad had to escape the rot at home in Zambia in order to find life again abroad. The best they are perhaps doing is supporting their families, and their families are putting the money they get into the Zambian economy, which in turn enriches the guys in Government who are mismanaging the nation?
I don’t know how she will have to put up working with Senior Citizen/Veteran aka BK day in day out.
i am currently doing extra work to replace the business opportunity and hard cash i lost because i went without a passport for 9 months despite having put in an application to replace my old passport 4 months earlier, why? because somebody at your embassy “forgot” and put my papers in “a drawer”. this is time and money i should have been having the luxury of contributing home. just because we came here outside government mandate, we are still zambians just like you
maybe you think my losing these opportunities does not affect you for a non consequential individual like me but think twice. if your clueless beaurocrats can do it to me, they can easily do it to potential cooperate investors… ” forgetting” and putting the papers in ” a drawer ”
train your staff and make them be…
the conseqeuncies of their their omissions and/or commissions
thats all i have to say
Invest in Zambia? 1st you run Zambia airways to the ground,2nd you sold Zamtel to Libyans,3rd all mines are run by the chinese.Practice what you’re preaching.
Not when you got robbed by a modern day Robinhood(Barclays Bank). I left my fixed account with them, but after 4yrs the account was wiped thro. dubious fees and charges when they allocated my account to suspense account without my consent. They were charging about K90,000 per month in the last year of my account.
Can the Diaspora desk at State House fix the Zambian banking rules first if they are to motivate diaspora to keep bank accounts at home. My be he should learn from the Mexicans/Phillipinos of how these nations encourages hard working diaspora to keep remittance flowing back home without strife of banking and financial regulations.
The country would in return be earning the much needed fx and at the end strenthen the Kwacha. At the moment there is no way i can hold my little earned money with any of the Zambian bank because i have lost confidence in the banking system at home. I would rather keep in my pillow that with the gutless Barclays Bank who stripped me of million kwacha’s despite being a loyal customer from my first pay cheque in 1986 to 2005. Barclays bank have lost me.
the majority of those pipo are illegals stuck in USA they cant come back to zed. encourage them to invest in zambia and prepare for their coming back home. they suffer alot doing dirty jobs and long hours. they fail to come attend funerals of their beloved ones back home. When they die that side I hear they are burued in unmarked graves by prisoners or surrendered to medical schools. the diaspora desk at statehouse is good for them if they can make a saving from their income. guys and dolls pliz plan for your home coming no place is better than home
Imwe ba LK poseniko amano tu solve your problem. We send comments and dont appear. Mwila tuchinga ayi
…
As already mentioned 1] Dual nationality without hassles! 2] Voting from abroad 3] Preferential tax rules for diasporan investors(remember we are not large multinational corporates; also “level playing fields” are simple book theories, never in real life! unless you are so dumb!) Thats enough of a start for my wish list, Ooh!! Almost forgot, restore my Birth-Right to stand for presidency, then for once might consider you serious!!
Finally, a professional and career diplomat in Washington. Let’s hope this puts an end to the “personal-to-holder” attitude of the forme ambassador who ran the embassy as a family kantemba! Welcome Madama Ambassador.
#4, 9 and 13,
Your comments represent the facts and the truth.
#20 Iwe Kapenda Mabula Ubufi uleke! How did Inonge Lewanika run the embassy as a Family Kantemba? Please tell us the relatives she employed. Actually most of the Zambian embassy staff at the embassy are Bemba speakers. Sheila Siwela is not a career diplomat. She is a human resource specialist and educationist. She is a political appointee like most of them.
#14 & 15 WEST COAST: your comments about Zambian Bank charges are spot on. A Barclays bank branch in a certain town on the Copperbelt was overcharging my account with all sorts of bank fees and charges for very unclear reasons. I had no option but to close my account. I wonder if these dubious charges apply to other banks such as Zanaco or StanChart etc?
Finally I trust the New Ambassador in the States will continue to build on the good works of ambassador Dr. Inonge Lewanika.
Thumbs up for King Cobra !!! hey I cant wait to see king cobra get the entire staff at the Zambian Embassy USA packing. It’s time to go the trumpet is blowing!!! you all thought you couldn’t go back home it’s all over, we need highly educated people to lead. Good luck on way back to ZEE by ship
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