By Richard Lamu
“I applied for the Alabuga Start Programme but with what I have read so far, I am having second thoughts; I don’t think I would go if they accept me,” 21-year-old Chileshe (not her real name) told Zambia Reports.
A graduate of Mulungushi University in Zambia’s Central Province, about 220 kilometres north of capital Lusaka, Chileshe is among many youths struggling to find employment in a country where job opportunities are scarce. As a result, any online job offers promising decent pay becomes a dream come true, albeit at a high risk of falling into the trap of human trafficking networks that have seen many young Africans suffering in the countries they migrate to.
Youth activist Michelo Kenzie Kanchele has called for an urgent probe, saying now is the time to act to ensure potential human trafficking is stopped.
“Not all that glitters is gold,” they say, and that seems to be the story of Russia’s Alabuga Start Programme being marketed across Africa for young girls between 18 and 22 years. So far, girls from several African countries have enrolled – Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi, Cameroon, Rwanda, among others.
Recent investigations by Associated Press, Bloomberg and local media organisations point to serious human rights abuses linked to human trafficking disguised as lucrative job offers for the girls. The findings show that these girls have been placed in factories in Tartastan, Russia where the Alabuga Multi-Facility Economic Zone houses enemy drone manufacturing plants, facilities hosting the young African girls who are working from. Recently, Ukraine, a country suffering at the hands of Russia’s full-scale invasion since February 2022, retaliated. The attack, fortunately, did not cause any fatalities but the main casualties would, without a doubt, be the young people working in these factories, among them African girls between the age of 18 and 22.
Another key question or concern has been the age range and specific target of young women –18 and 22 years? Could there be more to worry about?
“Someone I know introduced me to a Telegram channel where there are many young people seeking opportunities outside Africa. I took steps to apply but I have now been seeing these stories being shared in Zambian media which show that the programme is not about what we think,” Chileshe spoke on condition of strict anonymity. “I am having second thoughts; I don’t think I will go. Something deep down my heart tells me I that shouldn’t go.”
In Botswana, Interpol is investigating these reports, with support from the Botswana government. In Rwanda, the Bureau of Investigations is probing the reports to protect its citizens from human trafficking networks. In Zambia, the government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said it is investigating the reports.
For youth activist Michelo Kenzie Kanchele, popularly known as Mitch Kenzie, the Zambian government must immediately take action to thoroughly investigate the Alabuga scheme before many young girls find themselves on the programme.
“I’m deeply concerned about the potential human trafficking implications surrounding the Alabuga Start programme. I’m alarmed by this situation and urge the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to conduct a thorough investigation to prioritize the safety of Zambian girls who have gone, and ensure their well-being,” Kanchele said in an interview.
Last month, a Russian factory, described by its director as the world’s biggest maker of strike drones, was shown on the Russian army’s Zvezda TV channel with teenagers helping make kamikaze drones to attack Ukraine, Reuters has reported.
The documentary film broadcast showed hundreds of large black completed Geran-2 suicide drones in rows inside the secretive facility, which has been targeted by Ukrainian long-range drones.
Ukraine accused Russia of using the Geran drones to terrorise and kill civilians in locations including the capital Kyiv, where residents often shelter in metro stations during attacks. But Russia claimed its drone and missile strikes target only military or military-related targets and denied deliberately targeting civilians, more than 13,000 of whom have been killed in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, the United Nations says.
The Alabuga factory, in Russia’s Tatarstan region, invited school pupils to study at a college the factory runs nearby once they had completed ninth grade (aged 14-15) so that they could study drone manufacturing there and then work at the factory when they had finished college, according to the military documentary.
Young workers, including teenagers, were shown with their faces blurred out, studying computer screens or making and testing individual components, or assembling drones. The factory is part of the so-called Alabuga Special Economic Zone, which is near the town of Yelabuga, which is over 1,000 km from the border with Ukraine, where some Zambian girls are deployed.
This disclosure has riled Kanchele.
“We will gather more information about the Alabuga Start programme and its potential implications and we will share our findings with fellow youths and the broader community to raise awareness. We will also collaborate with other youth organizations and activists to amplify the call for investigation and transparency. If we don’t receive genuine answers, we take necessary measures to bring attention to the issue and demand action from relevant authorities,” he said. “We will also meet with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant bodies to push for a thorough investigation and ensure the safety of Zambian citizens and advocate for policy reforms to prevent similar situations in the future and protect Zambian citizens from potential exploitation.”
Alabuga’s expansion into African countries shows its growing recruitment drive. The Voice of America (VoA) recently reported that African and other governments have at times been willing partners. For instance, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Education shared on its website a document that announced open admissions to Alabuga Start in 2023 while Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sport shared a similar announcement.
A further investigation by the VoA found letters online that appeared to be from the government ministries of Mali and Burkina Faso announcing that Alabuga Start had reserved spots for participants from those countries in 2023.