ZAMBIA WILL ONLY DEVELOP IF WE CELEBRATE OUR OWN MILLIONAIRES, MILES SAMPA

Seen Mr Ndambo Ndambo trending. Got to meet him in my capacity as Mayor. We discussed partnership in modernizing the Chibolya street goats and pigs abattoir. He was willing to invest in a state of the art cold storage in partnership with LCC on electronic payments of bills. It was not popular with cadres and the big wigs that backed them. They preferred cash payments of all council bills. Lol. Despite majority Councillors approving and as was the case with all initiatives we brought up, it was blocked and nothing got implemented.

I have met Bill Gates before and at the time the World’s richest man. Then in 2019 got to meet Mr Ndambo Ndambo and now reading he is Zambia’s richest man.

In my meetings with both, one thing still resonates with me. They are very down to earth. Bills Gates was taking hand written notes as I spoke, Mr Ndambo not only welcomed me at his office door but had his entire team of staff (mostly whites) attend our board room meeting. He kept referring to me as Sir and had to remind him that he was my senior citizen and it was me to call him Sir.

After our official meeting, he invited my entourage for lunch at his home in the lavish suburb of Rosebank or Sandton I think. His wife, all children and their spouses interacted with us on a very good meal except there was no ‘tu French wine’.

A devoted Christian and family man he is. He had his businesses politically destabilized in Zambia some 20 years ago or so. Little did they know they were transplanting him into neighboring countries to grave them with his business acumen.

Every attempt to reinvest in Zambia gets thwarted and one hopes this time around Zambia will get to benefit from his vast business investments and get to create additional jobs for our youths.

His company (Africa Union) has partnered with Congo DR to manage the scanning and electronic payment systems for most of their borders in Congo DR. I have always wondered why ZRA cannot partner with his company to modernize the chaotic Kasumbalesa border which to my estimate Zambia loses about $2M worth of revenue on a daily basis.

I wonder how many Ndambo Ndambos are out in the diaspora and not entered their own Zambian market because they get frustrated back.

Mr Ndambo is currently one of the ‘Big Boys’ of Africa and well known and respected by the AU. Yes he travels by his own jet if that’s a measure of being wealthy.

Let’s cerebrate our own millionaire before we can embrace foreign ones.

Together We Can

MBS26.06.2022