Lusaka was great! Barely a day after that l had to pop out to Johannesburg. This made for a lot of comparisons and contrasting in my mind. Upon entering Lusaka, l was blown away by a feeling of rapid motion, everywhere l looked seemed to be greeted by billboards competing for my attention. More amazing was a trip to Levy Mall (see pic), a really amazing shopping Mall funded by the National Pension fund of Zambia. I was truly overjoyed to see such structured management of national funds as both local and international brands have taken over the mall. I am confident too that if the Zambian government manages revenues well then hardworking citizens will have retirement plans to look forward to.
Levy Mall is named after the late Levy Mwanawasa, a great & principled leader who left us too soon. His leadership marked a new era in Zambia and went a long way to bolstering investor confidence. The welcoming spirit of the Zambian people was unforgetable. My only concern was that foreigners appeared to be too ingrained in the economy. For example, I would definitely have loved to see homegrown quick service restaurant operators alongside the common staple of KFC, Debonairs, and Zimbabwe's Innscor International. More must be done to promote the emergence of homegrown brands across all sectors of the local economy. Such brands can easily leverage on a growing economy, a home advantage and ultimately export the great spirit of Zambia across Africa and beyond. This process seems to be starting as the great Tradekings Empire demonstrates.
It's great to have more international players coming in as this creates jobs and opportunities for the local economy. It's even better to have homegrown brands that boost intellectual capital and reinvest profits into the local economy. My colleague and l walked nearly 5km's from the CBD of Lusaka right to its industrial brim.I hope the Zambian leadership under President Sata continues lifting Zambia to new heights.
Fully describing my experiences would require a whole book! The great news is that l came across hope and found renewed strength to pursue my passion.
Look out for the post where l compare my travels to Lusaka with home in Harare and a foray to Johannesburg and Pretoria (all done in 3 days).
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| Young & vibrant Africans don't need aid, they need jobs and opportunities. @Wimpy Levy Mall (I'm the esajan in blue!) |
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| Impressive but...where are the local brands? |
Levy Mall is named after the late Levy Mwanawasa, a great & principled leader who left us too soon. His leadership marked a new era in Zambia and went a long way to bolstering investor confidence. The welcoming spirit of the Zambian people was unforgetable. My only concern was that foreigners appeared to be too ingrained in the economy. For example, I would definitely have loved to see homegrown quick service restaurant operators alongside the common staple of KFC, Debonairs, and Zimbabwe's Innscor International. More must be done to promote the emergence of homegrown brands across all sectors of the local economy. Such brands can easily leverage on a growing economy, a home advantage and ultimately export the great spirit of Zambia across Africa and beyond. This process seems to be starting as the great Tradekings Empire demonstrates.
It's great to have more international players coming in as this creates jobs and opportunities for the local economy. It's even better to have homegrown brands that boost intellectual capital and reinvest profits into the local economy. My colleague and l walked nearly 5km's from the CBD of Lusaka right to its industrial brim.I hope the Zambian leadership under President Sata continues lifting Zambia to new heights.
Fully describing my experiences would require a whole book! The great news is that l came across hope and found renewed strength to pursue my passion.
Look out for the post where l compare my travels to Lusaka with home in Harare and a foray to Johannesburg and Pretoria (all done in 3 days).
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