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Introducing Zambia
Zambia is a stable and vibrant country straddling central Africa and
forming a natural hub for the sub-continents diverse activities, having
common borders with Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania,
Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia.
Geologically the
country is favored with an abundance of mineral resources. In the
late Proterozoic Lufilian terrain of north-western Zambia, boasts one of
the worlds most important and complex metallotects hosting enormous
reserves of copper-cobalt ore, together with gold, uranium, nickel,
lead-zinc, iron and manganese.
The Government of Zambia has taken
significant steps to stabilize the economy and has created a positive
investment climate which is particularly favorable to the exploration
of these and the numerous other mineral and energy resources identified
and still to be discovered throughout the country
 Zambia : the country
Zambia is located well within the tropics and with
an average elevation of between 1000m and 1500m,zambia enjoys a sunny
climate with three distinct seasons: a cool dry season in may-august
with average daytime temperatures of 15-27ºc;a hot dry season in September-November with temperatures of
27-32ºc;and a warm wet season in
December-April with temperatures of 20-27ºc
and accompanied by the rains which is important to the country’s
agricultural industry .
The total area of the country is 752,614km²
and, with a population of only 11 million people and the capital city is
Lusaka with the population of 1.5 million and other major centres
include the towns of the Copperbelt (Kitwe, Ndola, Mufulira, Chingola,
Kalulushi and Luanshya), Kabwe and Kapirimposhi in Central Zambia and
Livingstone in the southern part of the country. Administratively the
country is divided into nine Provinces.
Four major river system
dominate Zambia’s landscape: the Zambezi River in the Western Zambia and
forming much of the southern border of the country including Lake Kariba;
the Kafue River which drains the Copperbelt and then loops
south-westwards and ultimately eastwards to join the Zambezi; the
Luangwa system which dominates Eastern Zambia; and the Luapula river
which drains northwards into Lake Mweru, forming a common border with
D.R.Congo along much of its length. Some nineteen areas of the country,
large and small have been designated national parks to ensure a heritage
for future generations.
Physical Infrastructure
Zambia possesses a well-established transport and
communications network and is mostly self-sufficient in terms of
electricity requirement.
Transport Network
Zambia is the most important route centre in
central Africa and an important gateway between the region and the
countries of southern Africa.
Zambia’s road network comprises 21,000km of main,
trunk and district road, 16,000km of urban and feeder roads, and 30,000
km of un-gazetted road. Roads between the important centres are mostly
paved and in good condition.
The key rail lines are from Livingstone on the
Zimbabwe border through Lusaka and the Copperbelt into D.R.Congo and
Angola, and the Tanzania-Zambia railway (TaZara) that starts from Kapiri
Mposhi and extends eastwards to the Tanzanian port of Dar-es-Salaam.
Currently, the line through Angola to the Atlantic coast requires
rehabilitation but the Livingstone route through Zimbabwe links to the
major south coast ports of Durban and Cape Town.
The country’s major international airport is Lusaka
and this is serviced regularly by a number of international airlines on
routes throughout Africa and direct to Europe, India and the far-east. A
local airline services regional routes in central and southern Africa,
and domestic charter companies support air travel within Zambia.
Telecommunications
Zambia has a well established infrastructure of
domestic and international telecommunications which is controlled by the
Zambia Telecommunications Corporation (Zamtel). Cellular phone services
are also now available via Zamtel, Zamcel and a number of other
privately-owned companies.
Energy
The countries most important source of energy is
electricity and this generated by three major hydro-electric power
stations - Kariba North Bank (600 MW) Victoria Falls (150 MW) and Kafue
Gorge (900 MW).
A number of smaller hydro-electric power and
diesel-powered stations contribute to the National Grid and also
supply the outlying regions. Zambia is also an exporter of electricity.
Zambia's Economy
The monetary and fiscal policies put in place by
the present Government had led to the strengthening of the economy.
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Inflation has fallen drastically from 200% in
1990 to around 18% now.
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Bank lending rates have fallen from over 110% in
1993 to around 37%.
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The trade balances showed surplus in 1997
US$76 million compared to a deficit of US$220 million in 1996.
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Non-traditional exports (i.e. excluding copper
and cobalt) generated 26.4% of export revenue during 1997 and have
shown an average growth of 24% since 1990.
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Foreign direct investment increased from US$40
million in 1994 toUS$271 million in 1997, and rocketed to US$949
million (including investment pledges) in the first half of 1998.
The privatization of the mines and companies of the
Copperbelt and of other companies in Zambia has led to a flood of
enquiries and substantial investment. The burgeoning Lusaka Stock
Exchange saw a 117% growth in value during 1997 and a number of large
companies are moving to equity placing during 1998.Negotiation of
bilateral trade agreements with South Africa, Tanzania, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Malawi and Zimbabwe bode well for positive and
sustainable growth by Zambia's economy.
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