THE MINISTRY OF GREEN ECONOMY MUST WAKE UP

The recent developments in North Western Province and Mwinilunga District to be specific, where Chinese investors have acquired a significant portion of timber concession licenses, present a troubling scenario for Zambia’s timber industry and all rightful thinking Zambians must develop a headache over these reports.

It is disheartening to witness the exploitation of our country’s valuable natural resources at the hands of foreign investors, while local timber producers are pushed aside and deprived of their livelihoods in a country that is theirs.

The Timber Producers Association of Zambia (TPAZ) President, Charles Masange, has rightly highlighted the grave implications of this concerning trend. The fact that 14 out of the 20 timber concession licenses in Mwinilunga have been sold to Chinese nationals is a glaring testament to the urgency of this matter.

The local timber traders and communities who once depended on this industry for their sustenance have now surrendered their birth-right by swapping their licences for a few pieces of silver without realising that it is them who have lost out. As things stand, the Chinese will continue ravaging our forests day and night because they have the money to buy huge equipment and bribe a few hungry stomachs who should have stopped this rot, and continue making a fortune out of our natural resources.

Senselessly, those Zambians who had these licences and sold them to the highest bidder are now back to doing nothing. They are spectators while their Chinese counterparts who are supposed to be the buyers of timber have now become producers and suppliers, making huge profits while those who gave them the businesses will have nothing to do or will probably start working for these Chinese.

If this is not stupidity, then what other name can one call it? The slave-master mentality is what is killing us in Zambia. It is unbelievable that these dwanzies cannot aspire to become huge companies like the Chinese by coming together and taking advantage of their licenses to form cooperatives of timber producers and buy equipment. With an avalanche of funding under CDF, in the next two to three years, these would have become huge entrepreneurs, contributing to decent job creation and contributing to the economic development of the country.

That way, they would not only be contributing towards narrowing the unemployment gap, but would also reinvest their profits in the economy unlike the current situation where most of these foreign companies are making huge profits from our country using our resources and externalising these proceeds to their countries and this is the same money that is developing other countries.

This is the same money which we are in turn getting back as loans and grants. Who has bewitched us as a country that even simple logic is difficult to apply?

What we want to know is if at all the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment is aware of this, especially that the President made it clear that locals must be prioritized to partner with foreigners in these ventures.

The Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, tasked with safeguarding Zambia’s natural resources and promoting sustainable practices, must wake up to the gravity of the situation. Climate change concerns are undoubtedly crucial, but it should not come at the expense of allowing large-scale exploitation of our timber reserves by foreign entities.

Striking a balance between environmental preservation and timber trading is essential to protect our national interests.

A first step towards rectifying this issue is for the Government to establish a timber auction market, where local producers can directly sell their products without being exploited by intermediaries. Such a system will not only ensure fairer prices for Zambian timber but also promote transparency and accountability in the industry.

Moreover, the Government must look into promoting value addition within the timber sector. By processing and adding value to our timber products before export, Zambia can significantly increase its earnings from timber exports and create more jobs for its citizens.

While we recognize the importance of international trade and cooperation, allowing foreign companies, like the Chinese investors, to solely control our timber industry under the guise of value addition is a detrimental approach. It results in a significant loss of revenue for our nation and threatens the sustainability of our natural resources.

The problem we have as citizens is that we do not learn. Today, we are handing over our licences to the Chinese and salivating for better paying jobs from them thinking that something positive will come out of it but truth is that there are very few Chinese companies that even respect Zambia’s minimum wage.

Most of our people working for Chinese companies in particular and foreign companies in general are subjected to slave wages. They have reduced us to slaves in our own country because they understand our debased thinking where getting a salary at the end of the month, no matter how small it is, is more important than finding something for us to do for ourselves.

This is why we can even hand over our licences and go back to doing nothing. Before we know it, the Chinese will kick out all the Zambians in the timber sector save for their surrogates who they will be using as the cat’s pawns to propagate their businesses and once they take full control of the sector, they will then start dictating to us how the sector must run.

We saw the same attempt by Zimbabweans over the tomato business in Zambia. Had the ZNFU not put their foot down and refused their machinations, we would have been paying through our noses by now because some honchos at the Ministry of Agriculture and some rotten elements at CCPC had already given in, probably after being oiled.

It was the same story in the road construction subsector where years back, the Chinese technically eliminated competition by waging a smear campaign against credible companies such as Grinaker-LTA –Construction Company which were doing quality works. One of the roads they constructed between Monze and Zimba has stood the test of time and is there for all to see.

Constructed over 15 years ago, that stretch has never been patched up while newer roads given to the same Chinese companies have been worked on again, time and again.

What happened after the Chinese monopolised road construction projects in Zambia? We started paying through our noses. They even had the audacity to engage in corrupt activities with some chicken-hearted politicians who normalised kickbacks and we started funding projects at twice the normal cost.

It is incumbent upon the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment to take swift action to protect Zambia’s timber resources and the livelihoods of its citizens. Collaborating with local stakeholders, such as the Timber Producers Association of Zambia, is essential to formulate effective strategies that can drive the sustainable growth of the timber industry while preserving our forests for future generations.

It is only in our country where foreigners are granted visas to come and engage in businesses such as block making, poultry, shop keeping, among others, which are supposed to be reserved for citizens. We are yet to find a Zambian making pan bricks in China or India where our very entry as Zambians is almost a near-impossibility unless you are going for studies or medicals. Whoever bewitched us as a country must have died a long time ago because if he was alive, he would feel sorry for us.  

We call upon the Government to prioritize national interests and act decisively in regulating the timber industry. The Chinese care less if they contribute to deforestation or climate change for as long as they make money but what kind of a country do we want to leave for our grandchildren and generations to come?

Let us strive for a future where responsible and sustainable practices go hand in hand, ensuring that our natural resources are preserved, and our people can thrive in a flourishing timber sector. The time to act is now, and we must not falter in safeguarding the wealth of our nation’s forests.

Henceforth, we will follow the developments in Mwinilunga keenly and religiously and if some people in the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment will play monkey tricks over this issue, they must be ready for a perilous time with us because we will not spare anyone in our quest to ensure that things are done properly.