By Sunday Chilufya Chanda
Not long ago, His Excellency President Edgar Chagwa Lungu was conferred with a medal as a Champion of the Third Industrial Decade for Africa (IDDA3) is a momentous boon for Zambia. This was a reflection of our Head of State’s uncompromised steadfastness to develop Zambia and his passion to better the lives of the citizenry.
The eminent stature of the organizations that conferred this prestigious recognition upon President Lungu is very significant. That the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), African Union (AU), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank (ADB) jointly recognised President Edgar Chagwa Lungu in this regard, just shows how like the majority of Zambians, these cooperating partners and the international community esteem him, his efforts and his achievements.
Background
On 25 July 2016, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/70/293, proclaiming 2016-2025 as the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa (IDDA III). UNIDO was tasked with leading the implementation of the Decade, in collaboration with a range of partners. The vision for the implementation of IDDA III is to firmly anchor Africa on a path towards inclusive and sustainable industrial development.
The achievement of this vision requires the transformation of African countries into locations of competitive industrial production.
The necessary enabling framework conditions for this industrial transformation include the strengthening of key elements of industrial productive capacity, such as infrastructure, innovation and technology transfer, industrial financing, industrial knowledge and skills, and the support from public and private sector institutions that regulate and advocate industrial development. Various development interventions and broad-based partnerships are required to improve the enabling framework, as well as to encourage productive industrial investment ventures in Africa.
The Revised Zambian Industrial Policy
It is no surprise that this honour was conferred upon our Head of State.
The PF Government of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu has demonstrated practical commitment to Industrialisation and concomitant diversification.
To this end, President Lungu and the PF Government approved the National Industrial Policy. While industrial policy issues were previously covered under the Commercial, Trade and Industrial Policy which covered both trade and industrial development matters, the revised standalone Industrial Policy emphasises industrial development in order to compel industries operating in Zambia to process local raw materials into finished products.
This is designed to augment government’s efforts to create employment in various parts of the country while the revenue base will simultaneously be expanded.
The resultant value addition to local raw materials will have a positive ripple effect by creating business opportunities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) to supply goods and services. Manufacturing is an important driver of economic development and employment.
The Importance of Infrastructure Development
There can be no meaningful development, industrialisation and diversification without Infrastructure Development. This is because finished goods need to reach their markets in a timely efficient manner. Bad or non-existent Infrastructure is one of the biggest impediments to doing business. In line with its manifesto 2016-2021, The Patriotic Front (PF) Government led by President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, has consequently made unprecedented investments in infrastructure in the fields of Transport, Irrigation, Energy, Health, Education as well as Information and Communication Technology among others.
These are the crucial pre-requisites to achieving sustainable development and empowering communities across the length and breadth of our nation.
The PF Government led by President Lungu recognises that growth in productivity and incomes, and improvements in health and education outcomes equally require investment in infrastructure.
By building infrastructure, the President and the PF Administration have also saved and continue to save our people time and money as they travel to access services and facilities.
The Patriotic Front Government has been implementing the Link Zambia 8000 programme and other road projects aimed at transforming Zambia into a land linked country, allowing it to exploit both its domestic and regional markets.
Apart from creating jobs, the road projects have been instrumental in contributing to the opening up of new business opportunities in the country.
In the health and education sectors, there has been unprecedented infrastructure development. All of these developments are a major step to industrialisation and sustainable diversification of the Zambian Economy. As earlier mentioned, the Patriotic Front government has embarked on unparalleled infrastructure development in every sector. This has created employment and provided mid to long term benefits in all sectors.
It has been said that ordinary politicians prepare for the next elections, while statesmen plan for the next generation. Herein lies the fundamental difference between the Statesman and Champion of Development in President Edgar Chagwa Lungu and his opposition detractors.
While the Head of State Champions the development of the whole nation for now and future generations, others in the opposition live up to their moniker.
They are jealous and envious at the infrastructure development and the nation being turned into a progressive construction site. Because they have no alternatives to offer, they are desperate to remain relevant. They cajole their membership saying “we can’t eat roads and bridges”.
They have tried in vain to make, infrastructure development synonymous with corruption, but their folly always blows up in their faces. In the meantime, Zambia is headed for major economic growth through industrialisation and diversification through infrastructure development.
The people of Zambia across the nation are appreciative witnesses and beneficiaries
While his detractors are fixated on digging themselves deeper and deeper into a rut through acrimonious discourse dug by their unending vitriolic rituals and vicious cycle of election defeats, President Edgar Chagwa Lungu leading the PF Government has chosen to look straight ahead with his eyes firmly on achieving the UN Goal 9 (nine): “Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”.
The People of Zambia have noticed our President’s zeal and dedication to Industrialisation and diversification through infrastructure development.
We applaud the astute discernment by cooperating partners represented by UNIDO, AU, FAO, UNECA and ADB in recognising President Edgar Chagwa Lungu as a Champion.
Congratulations Zambia!
Zambia has become a useless country because of useless characters like Sunday Chanda.
I agree with you because if the guy was truthful, he was going to say the GDP growth from infrastructure development is this much, you will not hear any of these guys mentioning figures. They would just write a composition full of rhetoric, no figures no nothing, every development is measurable. Our economic woes started even before covid. Infrastructure development has brought nil growth other wise quote the figure. Did GDP grow by 2% because of the fake infrastructure development? Tell us
The infrastructure development is fake otherwise if it were real it was going to have a number showing contribution to GDP. The author is not even an economist, and real economist have told us we are off rails, so why is he saying it is on the right path. Can he justify, no just vizungu apa
The infrastructure development is not real, if it is, by what percentage has it contributed to GDP. Give us a number. Justify your article which of course cant be justified
The cooperating partners that endorsed the President don’t feel the hunger and they don’t vote, and most of these recognitions are stage managed anyway. And they operate in the diplomatic realm where you praise in public but whip in private, we want to know what he is been told in private, because that is where the truth lies.
Sunday, if indeed there has been infrastructure development, tell the Zambians how much it has contributed to GDP percentage wise
Chanda, please justify the infrastructure development with figures. What is the contribution to GDP so far, it cant be just rhetoric all the time
My dad is 58. He is telling me he has been hearing those words “Zambia is on the Path to Industrialization” from 1968 when he was in Grade 1
Mate time for dreaming is over! Go look for a real job. I am sure you must have seen Tramp’s spin doctors jumping ship when they saw the writing on wall. You can dream on alone. The Zambians woke up along time ago. Your party of thieves stands for nothing but lies.
LT you should start being objective! Moderation for what?
Wishful and delusional thinking from Sunday Chanda. People don’t eat infrastructure, they want Food on the Table, Good Life and Good Governance. With skyrocketing cost of living, poor Governance etc people are clamouring for a change of Govt in 2021. The ECL Govt has failed and must be voted out in August 2021. The writing is on the wall.
???
It doesn’t work that way. You won’t industrialize Zambia with its stagnant economy (growth of 2%) and heavy debts.
By what percentage has our GDP grown out of infrastructure development. The answer is a big negative. Economies are measurable bwana, as zambians we are now wide awake, no body can f0ol anybody with infrastructure development which when you put it in measurable terms has not resulted into growth. Infact all economic stats are negative and even before covid came
Ignorantly taking about infrastructure development, does this guy know that Zambia’s currency has been the second worst performing in the world(truth) at 52% depreciation in a single year, even countries having severe covid have not eroded by that much, so what infrastructure when people are starving
We had infrastructure developments in the MMD, but we were not starving
MMD inflation 6 % PF 19.2%
MMD Fuel K6 litre PF K15
MMD Exchange rate to dollar K6 PF K21
MMD GDP growth 7% PF negative
MMD Reserves 1 year import cover PF 2 months
MMD guaranteed civil liberties PF no assembly for opposition
MMD mealie meal price K30 PF K140
All stats for PF were down even before covid, so what infrastructure when the country is worse off using parameters used world wide to measure the economic health of a country
If a medal was conferred on his excellency, it needs to be with drawn by the organisation which conferred on him immediately. The medal does not conform to reality on the ground, if all as rose and in conformity with the medal Zambia would not in any way have been rated as junk state by respected international rating agencies
This guy has a difficult job, paid to tell lies in a Christian nation. And he does it well because he does it with a straight face
Economy shrunk even before covid and this chap is talking of infrastructure development. He will not tell you by how much the economy has grown due to infrastructure development because in reality there is none.
Hogwash!
I don’t know the type of lenses you are using, that’s why I am not in agreement with what you are saying.
Talking about infrastructure built by borrowed money some being weakened by unfavorable weather conditions.
Some are poorly constructed and being unsafe for usage.
Meanwhile the the borrowers need their dollars plus interest.
PF must go!
They are going, ulendo ulipo apa. All economic stats have gone negative ever since PF came in, which Zambian would vote for mediocrity
He means his stupid pockets. Whatever these *****s smoke must be very potent.
I was thinking the same,is he the only one who doesn’t know that children are paying huge sums of money to be employed as Teachers with the full knowledge of PSs etc.?
Mushanina bwali
Yesterday my vehicle got stuck in the sand in Kaoma right in town, so what infrastructure development is this chap talking about
MAYESO YAYAMBA MU 2021
Zamaya Sinvula Wangali kuseniseni
Whatever this guy smokes mwandi only he can explain. Even if it’s support your local team sometimes people can think you’re running mad. He doesn’t even know what he’s talking about but just yapping for the sake of it.Is Construction of a road into Kalingalinga using borrowed funds the right economic path to industrialisation through infrastructure development?. This song of infrastructure development the PF government keeps on singing about is really laughable. Sunday Chanda can’t even quantify the Postive economic impact of the infrastructure development him and his Party in Govt keeps talking about. He can’t even talk about the way they’re using the same infrastructure development to steal public resources that were supposed to be used to support other sectors of the economy. Anyway, we are already in 2021 hence there’s no need for the PF govt to worry about why they should be voted back into Power.
His Excellency President of the Republic of Zambia remains unmatched in terms of his transformational leadership he has brought to Zambia. No country can develop without infrastructure. Like the PF’s play book defined in the 7NDP, that banks on building on top of a preceding developmental undertaking. As we Zambians give ECL another mandate this 2021, we expect a continued and next agenda in the development of this Country with special focus on enhanced Agricultural rich programs anchored of increased productivity to feed Africa.
I laud you Sunday for this Article.
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Zambia on the right Economy Path to Industrialisation. Was this before or after the recently launched Economic Recovery Programme?
That’s why things are getting worse by the day because we assume that we are on right the path.
You are driving in the wrong direction but think you are in right direction you will never come back to the right path.
I don’t know which Zambia he is talking about?
I was hoping this nonsense remained in 2020.
Why carry it over to 2021
The author has to scribble something to justify his salary from the PF secretariat, otherwise what infrastructure development, when the country is even currently declared a junk status, even the IMF where Zambia is a shareholder can’t trust us, they can’t give us money for 4 years now.
Sharing of illicit money at pf secretariate is not industrialisation
???
Definitely there are some positive developments on road infrastructure especially in Lusaka residential areas. In areas where we expect industries to be, there isn’t much road development. At the moment, the economy is not doing well; signs are that in the near future, the economy will not grow fast. It would have made sense to point out that there are challenges instead of self praise. Talk of kwacha depreciation, and how it will affect your industrialization
Industrial revolution was and is still based on scientific Research and Development (R &D)…It needs effective human capital. ..
Show this guy the Mongu – Lusaka road
In 6 years you have done nothing what are you going to do in 5 years sit down Sunday.
Comrade you are very right. As usual the truth hurts the upnd diasporan psychos. You can just see from the comments above that these are not normal humans. These upnd diasporans are filthy sad animals. They are not fit to live in a human society. We are glad you moved away from our country you dirty animals.
Can this either be withdrawn or investigated or could have been an erroneous award or whatever. It is not a true reflection of the situation on the ground, this is where I wished VAR was used like in football ,the award was going to be reversed with the urgency it deserves, surely our President does not deserve it, look at the sorry state of our country which he inherited in a decent state. Our economy has been on a downward trajectory ever since PF came in, a fact which cant even be disputed by the religious affairs ministry
When you right such articles don’t aim to appease your paymaster, that’s why Zambia isn’t moving forward. We’re landlinked but today you can’t drive from one boarder to the other on a complete smooth road. Many stretches are impassable yet these are the roads that drive the supply chain. Help Edgar make right decisions by being factual. You’re not helping matters by being eloquent at lying. Edgar’s failures are mainly yours
What these pf surrogates Sunday chanda and Antonio Mwanza smokes is hard staff.
Kaya limbi balifilisha kolyokolyo.
ALL IN ALL INSALA KAPONDO imagine you choose to stop thinking so that you eat
Mulenga Justine awe mafi ayauma eyo ba peepa
PF expired. Way past shelf life now
Same watsapp group with Tayali, no objectivity, just conning and milking organisation’s to survive
Infrastructure development across this country is very evident
Show us the evidence rather than politicking.
Satan’s messanger himself that embodies evil. Who even has time to read such uninformed and uneducated piece of rubbish. The consolation is that the hour of reckoning is drawing near.
In principle the article is correct: infrastructure developments are good for any country’s economy. However in the almost ten years the PF is in power, only the backpockets of the corrupt government (like Gayzar Zulu) people have developed! The roads are worse than ever, the kwacha is worth less than ever, silly useless viaducts have been built – but that’s it!
#LunguMustFall
Hospitals and health posts, hschools, roads, name it…we have seen
According to Bowmans sense of reasoning.. this loyalists Sunday Chanda is also a bootlicker like bowman Lusambo .
His words not mine .
Insoni ebuntu
The party and government of thieves is now busy scheming how to kill more innocent Zambians. Tell the nation why you killed two innocent Zambians, their families are waiting the names who pulled the trigger.
Ba Monday don’t use words you can’t understand! Do yo even know what industrialization means? Industrialization is not the same as getting kickbacks from infrastructure contracts!! It’s a deliberate policy to develop of facilitate industrial development! It not about taking roads to your plot or nowhere as long as you get a cut from the contract!!
Truly we have seen much of development from this governance like school’s, roads , hospitals its a good start and yet to continue
The economic drive as spearheaded by ECL is on the right track
His excellency was conferred with a medal as a champion of third industrial decade of Africa…
Who ever honored the president was only mocking him.
I live here in Kitwe most industries that existed then are ghost sites.No new industries have been built.
So iam wondering what this man is talking about.
Maybe he lives in a different Zambia.
That’s the problem of getting paid for nothing so apa nikusabaila chabe vilivonse kkk
Chi colour Sunday just shut up, ur stup1d id1ot of a boss Chi colour Edgar has destroyed a country that was on the rise, don’t think we are stup1d iwe Chi colour cha noko
@Kaizar Zulu,first oft all I wish you Happy New Year.2021 I can see you continue insulting diasporans as you have done in the past and you should be ashamed to do so.
However the Internet is not so anonymous as you think and someone will take you to an independent court to deal with you so please watch in future what you write or say.
You are an *****. Do you know what Industralization is ?
He means industrialisation in their pockets……from nobodies to billionaires in 10 years , yet no known personal bussiness to account for that wealth
That’s industrialisation, the lungu pf way…….
A certain woman was married to a very rich man. She had food, clothing, a beautiful house and cars. Her relatives also benefited for the marriage as they all got what they would ask for. There was one problem. The husband had a very bad temper and very often he would lay violent hands on her and beat her black and blacker. She complained to her relatives and friends and feared that one day she would be killed. Her counsellors all pointed to the nice house, her clothes and the generosity of the man. One day, he killed her.
What about the stench about Bonnie Kapeso and upnd?
I bless ECL. He will be on top of things come August 2021.
May he win more awards so that the side can cry more.
PF had promised heaven on earth, and we voted big time only to end up with a very flat battery. Since the more money in people’s pockets is not there as per promise so now kushintilila fye ku infrastructure development which is also not supported by the masses . No chance for PF this year
@charles Kunda 50 years on the road to industrialisation! Bushe tukafika? The Ngoni walked for some 30 years from Kwazulu to Eastern province at least they reached their destination mwati Nima Zambians?
Chanda really wants to believe what he writes just like the congregants who shout ‘I receive!’
Infrastructure is key to any development in any nation he who is saying you cannot eat infrastructure in so basic in his thinking and has no clue to where booming business comes from.
Connectivity is cardinal to all things concerning employment job creation without roads you cannot drive any car you cannot go to the next town or country so you become marooned in one place you cannot take farm products to markets you cannot take the sick to hospital you can not go to distance places to do business .
Without building road infrastructure you cannot advance to any level in development, so far so good that what Sata started has advanced this government has done so well and the same characters who are against the infrastructure are driving comfortably on the same roads they don’t want…
Sunday nimbona ilyo upepa Lila kola sana!! Show me were you bought naine nkabaileko mune. Elepelako Baba 6 points Babo so that batwalilile ukusabaile. But spare Ba Mumbi pantu kuti batampa ifyakufula nafuti nokushikula Ba youth.