Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Bob Sichinga has said that Zambians need to change their mindset of thinking that foreigners will develop the country for them. Mr. Sichinga said that it is important that the local people realize that cooperating partners are only there to help supplement efforts of the locals and not to totally make the change.
He said that local entrepreneurs need to take advantage of the available resources in the country to help add value to the country. Mr. Sichinga was speaking in Lusaka this morning during the African Development Bank group stakeholders’workshop under the theme ‘enhancing Zambian small and medium enterprises, competitiveness and access to finance’.
He noted that Zambia is not a poor country stating that what makes it poor is the mindset of the people. Mr. Sichinga said that small and medium entrepreneurs need to build on what is already available in the country if the country is to benefit from its resources.
And Mr. Sichinga said that there is need to ensure that there is much more investment in the small and medium enterprises because they help create more jobs compared to the big companies.
He said that it is evident that the large companies never create jobs based on their investment and pledges. The commerce minister says the Patriotic Front government will continue supporting the operations of SMEs and in turn help create jobs which he says was one of its election campaign messages.
Speaking earlier, African development bank resident representative in Zambia Freddie Kwesiga said that the bank’s approach in supporting SMEs and entrepreneurship development is through financial sector deepening, combined with technical assistant.
Dr. Kwesiga said that financial inter-mediation aims to enhance the capacity to local financial intermediaries to make available to SMEs affordable medium to long term financial products.
And Japanese embassy Charge d’ affaires Atsushi Kuwabara noted that that despite the global economic down turn, the African economy is not largely affected and continues to show strong resilience and robust growth.
Mr. Kuwabara says although SMEs are sometimes more vulnerable to adverse economic conditions than the larger ones, they can often be more flexible and adapt themselves better to a new environment.
QFM
Actually let us face it. Zambians have NEVER thought that foreigners will develop the country for them. It is the POLITICIANS who always think so…and in their poverty of thinking, they fail to develop policies that would enable Zambians themselves to bring about their own development. Just look at how we have ignored innovation at universities. There is no funding for new research in Zambia by government and private sector. How on earth can we develop without creating new tools, systems, technologies and processes?!!! The PF should show people focused policies not external focused policies.Â
Amen
Well put, well put
Bull’s eye my country man, bull’s eye!
If you can think like this, why doesn’t Bob Sichinga think likewise. He’s an educated man isnt he? if it came from Sata, we’d give him teh benefit of doubt. But not an educated man ……..
SPOT ON!
come on bob tell us something new. you see that running gov is not the same as opening your mouth everyday.you used to sound intelligent a few years ago
Awe mwandi, same baseless story every day. What foreigners and which Zambians? He should go to the new Chipongwe farming block and see how much Zambians have developed that area. They have built good roads built using their own initiative. They maybe gravel roads yes, but they are accesible all year round – which is something one can’t say about Govt built roads. The area looks really good with no Govt help and then now we are told ati “Zambians” are waiting for foreigners. Jobs have been created in that area as well. Maybe some people are waiting but please do not generalize. Forward with the nation!
This guy is a joke. He was in the USA last week and he was meeting with USA investors. Why did he set up meetings with Zambians in the USA and possibly meeting their ” potential partners”. Such a joke
I have never liked Bob but this time around he is right, in this insistence….why do we privatize our companies to foreign investors, are we saying no Zambian who form formidable groups of excellent people to curb such opportunities. If the government sales a parastatal Zambians should embrace the opportunity, we always wait for outsiders to take control and claim foul play later. ZCCM was ran by us…what happened…is there no creativity or intellectual capacity amongst our scholars to take the challenge, or do we still want funds to prove it….I am seeing Bob’s point
UNCLE BOB SICHINGA is saying that Zambians need to change their mindset of thinking that foreigners will develop the country for them and provide the solutions to the PROSTRATE CANCER issue. Mr. Sichinga said that it is important that the local people realize that cooperating partners are only there to help supplement efforts LIKE ON THE CERVICAL CANCER ISSUE of the locals and not to totally make the change AND PROVIDE FOR EVEN PROSTRATE CANCER as was being pleaded by President Sata to President Bush. DO YOU UNDERSTAND MR. PRESIDENT?
Platitudes, platitudes and yet more platitudes.
@Cacitikanalelo to add to your comments, Bob should tell it to mr sata, his boss! the man thinks technology transfer means the richer guys giving technology to africans. invest in technology research, create companies out of the research outcomes. Then U can bring back university into the name UNZA and CBU
Thats my Minister… On point sir… Bottom line is Zambians wake up and smell the coffee. Sluggards..
Bob just loves to talk. He has been waffling since the MMD days in the 90’s. Let him now get on with the business of governing and should not insult the ignorance of Zambians. let him leave that nonsense for the consumption of his shallow colleagues in cabinet and in the imbecile party
When you stop corruption, nepotism, and giving ‘small’ tokens like K14billion to your friends, Zambia will be way ahead on its way to development!!
@Cacitikanalelo correct.
Bob speaks as if they are still in opposition.
The issue here is for his govt to formulate developmental policies every Zambian can embrace and follow. Oh sorry or is it a manifesto.
I have never liked this loud for nothing mouth claiming to be educated without bread on the table.
Many Africans are beginning to think that probably we chased the Europeans out too early. Some Africans are so disillusioned that they are nostalgic about those days when the Europeans were in absolute control. Africans have joined the rest of the outside world to refer to their homeland as a lost cause. An African man after a recent visit called his homeland “bush” and swore never to step in there again. He had thrown in the towel and turned his back permanently. Other Africans, who still care, do so reluctantly. Some are just waiting for their parents to die off before they finally slam the door on Africa. For the rest, it is a constant prayer that the immigration office will one day let them bring out their loved ones. Once that is accomplished, it is goodbye Africa.
The greatest help will always be the self-help. The danger in assuming that Africa’s survival can only be found in the laps of foreigners amount to an acceptance of Africans’ inferiority. If the Indians, the Malaysians, the Brazilians, the Mexicans, the Hungarians, the Iranians are digging out rather than selling out, the Africans should have the courage and the decency to hang in there and dig out.
An African-American kid was reported to have been asked by his teacher what he thought about Africa and he responded, “yucky, yucky”. The same expression he uses when his mother asks him to taste broccoli or uncooked tomatoes. If we do nothing to rescue Africa ourselves, tomorrow, this African-American kid that will call Africa yucky, yucky, may be yours or mine. As for his children and his children’s children, they will read our stories of today and declare our days, the dark ages. Doesn’t that possibility make you feel yucky?
WAKE UP BROTHERS!!!
What you have expressed is true in all the above. It is up to us to wake up and do something about developing our country. I have even witnessed parents who came from Africa (Zambia) telling their children bad things about it. It makes me feel sad.
Interestingly i feel like Bob Schinga used my work to give that speech as i had written something of the same content of which i gave a copy to him last time when he was in Australia, however it could be coincidental or it has at least enlightened his mind.
#13 so true and so sad, well-articulated….. just add to the shame they that have by blessing become educated don’t want to be associated with other uneducated Africans, worse they deny their own parents and birth places…. become mouth critics for Africa to the outside world distancing themselves instead of helping others to be at their level…selfishness accompanied by corruption has disillusioned them all….Poor us!!!
Who can blame the Zambian for such a mindset to look outside for development, when all the current crop of politicians lie with no shame under the Dochi kubeba slogan. Unfortunately bwana minister you personally have laid on a number of times hence the loss of confidence in you and what you may say later.
This is a self contradictory statement, his pal Fackson Shemenda was just talking about selling shares of TIMES or Daily Mail  to foreigners. If you are serious BOB, implement pro-business policies that support local SMEs don’t just make baseless utterances.Â
It is govt’s responsibility to develop teh country via policies.
If your children keep looking to your neighbour for bread, it means you the father has lamentably failed. So it is with GRZ. If all we do is spend and waste money on senseless foreign travels when our people dont even have proper toilets, would we blame them for looking to George Bush to paint or build them a clinic?
#16 Nine Chabe, there are more disgruntled Africans living within Africa than those Africans in the diaspora. If they too had access to the web as much as those in the diaspora, they would easily overwhelm LT and other blogs.
Just look at the change of govt happening in many African countries. That is a sign that people are not satisfied with prevailing welfare. In Zambia, more than 50% voted against ruling MMD. Equally, more than 50% will vote against PF, after all, PF got less than 50% of votes already, at 2011. they wont get any higher than that at 2016.
So the issue is devlopment progress and expectations of people from their local leadership and govt. Those in diaspora are not many, only that they have access to the free media, like web based blogs.
Ok will chat to you in 2016 because as much as you may hate it PF will get over 60% of the vote and trust me they shall govern for another 3 terms trust me
Bob now u are finished I think u need early retirement. Africans especially Zambians are hard working shame on u, now yo pension is in trillions of kwacha u think we are not hard working? Stop such nonsense man!u don’t need a BCom to see how much Zambians work.visit kanyama, john laig and chawama and see 4 yoself.
This is the Bob who used to furnish us all those well articulated economic articles in the Post (which I used to read),  now he is in government where his theory has to be put in application, so far nothing remember his article on “Windfall Tax”, (plagiarism maybe who knows)….just reading the above article leaves a salty taste in my mouth.
Utterly disgraceful!!
This man has a potato cut. No-wonder HE Ukwa CNP wants to have such people close to him. Remember his comment about Nevers Mumba’s head!!!
Bob, just ask Shamenda and he will disagree with you. He just announced to the nation that reputable investors from the region have shown interest in investing in the Times of Zambia or The Daily Mail. Why not first let Zambians invest in these Zambian companies? That has always been the trend with all past and present administrations in Zambia, they first look beyond the borders for investors in public entities. Sell a big chunk of shares to Zambians and let them partner with foreign investors if they so wish.Â
This is not even funny but insane! one hopes that one day there will be genuineness accompanied by such ‘sweet talk’. Ba bob, are you willing to change your mindset? perhaps that would qualify you to say this. A multitude of folks who really changed their mindset were choked by such politicking and ended up in Diaspora. What i want first is you the leadership to commission this exercise, in-fact it will be much easier!
This boy must apologise for insulting Zambians, he needs to change his mind himself but it seems free money from government has now entereed his medulla oblongata.
Isn’t this the same fool who said Zambian kwacha was fake and MMD has somehow falsified it.
Hands up all those Zambians who think foreigners will develop Zambia for them!
1,2,3,4,5. Only five people out of about 13 million people.
It is your friend Shamenda who is selling Times and Daily Mail Newspapers who thinks foreigners will develop Zambia.
So, stop accusing Zambians for your confusion.
The so called government officials should be the first 2 change their mindset
Bob is just like his Son all talk .. That boy Robert Sichinga jr has been in the USA for I’ve 15 years now .. Only now after his father is in government does be register a fake company in the USA portraying to be a some official government wing  . Ati Zambia – USA chamber of commerce . Useless vuvuzela .
This is just a way of stealing tax payers money . This boy in secondary school was 4 years older than every one in his class  . Criminals the two of them bob n bobÂ
epsecially the kolwetsans who like stealing like ur relatives uncle Bob..hahaha
I guess its Sichinga and his boss Sata who should change their mindset. Is it not his boss Sata who is going around asking for foreigners to come and set up businesses in Zambia?
I urge Mr.Sichinga to lead the change he is talking about. Our ministers working cultures ought to change first. With PF coming into power i was of the impression that the ministers would be more responsive ‘listen’ to the people, even ordinary people. As soon as Mr.Sichinga became minister i went to his office and put my name on the list of people seeking an appointment to discuss ‘National Alternative Energy Plan’ . I was number seven for three and half months.I was not accorded an appointment. Enough workshops and serminars already!! Mr. Sichinga, What kind of Zambians do you want to discuss innovative development concepts? Long nice english like Chiluba’s no results will never develop Zambia. Keep waiting for ba zungu for solutions.
Lets talk trash.As long as zambian towns are full of trash,open sewers and other mess we should know we’re heading no where.A society that cannot be disciplined enough about simple trash management is not ready for much more complex systems and processes involved in development.We’ve failed in running mines,failed managing national airline,failed in zamtel and many others so what development are we ready for?
Zambians knew this ages ago but it is the politicians who are going to foreign countries bowl in hand asking foreigners to go and develop Zambia. Put proper policies in place and Zambians will react favourably. Current policies favour foreigners e.g. a foreigner is more favoured than a Zambia when it comes to land acquisition. So Mr Sichinga change the mindset of your fellow ministers and all those in government.