Zambian Manufacturing: At the Cusp of a Boom
By Michelo Maunga Introduction Happenings in the global economy are conspiring to provide Zambian manufacturing the opportunity to actualize its long held aspirations. This has the potential to set aside decades of below par performance and stagnation. Over the years, several similar opportunities have come and gone, with little sustained benefit to the local economy. Cases in point are the two copper booms, the first coming in the 60s and most recently prior to the 2009 Global financial crisis. In spite of these commodity surges Zambia remains a low income country. This potential is centered around three phenomena, namely; the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (Afcfta), the Green Energy Transition and The Russia-Ukraine War. I will begin with the Free Trade Area. AFCFTA This trade area represents what would be the largest common market for goods and services on the continent, linking a total of 1.3 billion people in an economy worth $3.4 billion. Brokered in Kigali, Rwanda