Skip to main content

MY COPPER BELT DIARY (Compiled in Nairobi :-)

DAY 2- NDOLA

9.00 am, had an interview with the PS in the CopperBelt Province, after that I met the fastest Chinese man on the planet, we went to his smelter after getting assistance from the PS.

Was great fun talking to both gentlemen about how the Zambian Government has taken on attracting investors via incentives..and one stop shop for investors, much like Susan Kikwai's Kenya Investment Authority, but perhaps one that works faster.

My Point: Between the time Kenya Airways wrote a request letter to set up shop in Ndola, and the first flight, was 3 months. we say doing Business in Africa is diffcult, lets also paint the true picture, that some governments are working faster tha others at it, and realise the importance of ease of doing business.

Kenya apparently dropped in it's ease according to the World Bank and IFC report for 2010, I hope we can learn from the likes of Zambia just how much we can encourage much needed foreign capital inflows into our economy.

This and other shoots with investors and players in the Zambian economy, with the 29 degree heat, and no sunscreen got us a well packaged story. ( shows on East Africa Business Report this week)

Work went well, so did after work :-)

Just a pointer, Lusaka is just the place to be; Stayed at the Taj, had a great salad for dinner, went out to Raphsody's and later to 101, if you do drop by Zambia, now you know where to go!

Oh! I did learn a word or two. Mukuba means copper in Pemba -common language in Z.

xxx

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

An Open Letter to Prof Makau Mutua, keep your predictions to yourself.

Dear Prof. Makau Mutua, “I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.” ― J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye Prof, you and J.D Salinger clearly share no beliefs. And maybe you shouldn’t. But I feel that you would be the man with an evil laugh pushing the thousands of little children off the cliff. Let me explain. Your tweet on the 23rd of Dec 2012,in Buffalo, New York "@makaumutua I predict a military coup in Kenya after t...

THE RICH AND THE REST: The Kenyan Story.

Aiming high! A recent title of the Economist publication read “The Rich and the Rest’. Before we get prejudicial as most of us do, I do not buy the economist on a weekly basis, sometimes almost never, I’d love to, but it’s an expensive habit to maintain. My former boss got me hooked though and once in a while, I will attempt to steal a copy, or go online to their website which has also now been squeezed to subscribers who can access it once they’ve paid for the 'Premium articles'. But this time, I painfully bought a copy, only because of its title; 'The Rich and the Rest. The special report on this edition focused on what they referred to as ‘The few’ then stratified into other sections such as 'More Millionaires than Australians’. The world’s water coolers – where the influential people meet and talk, ‘The Global campus- The best universities now have worldwide reach.' As I buried my head in the pages, Kenya’s rich (elite) made little flashes in my mind, ...

An open letter to college students ....Polish up.

A few weeks ago I ranted on twitter about how young Kenyans just out of college seeking jobs, or those still in college seeking internships have no clue how to relate professionally. Some responses were angry ones from possible campus students, or just people who have a strong opinion about everything, without critically looking at the issue at hand. (and they're many of these types on twitter) Anyway, last week, I set up a meeting between a young person that's very close to my heart and a friend of mine who runs a top ICT company. It wasn't a job interview, but just a sit down chat so my young friend would get to know what happens in the business, as well as to network and hopefully make a good impression to a possible employer. He had all his papers in order, and dressed well for the meeting, but against my advise, went along with a friend. (who proceeded to ask the secretary if they have openings in another department.) After his meeting, I asked him to write a le...