By Dr. Brian Mushimba
Every person gets that one break in life. If it hasn’t come for you yet, wait for it, it’s coming.
In the same vein, nations come up on such incredible opportunities for the wholesale transformation unprecedented up to that time.
Russia, for example, had their own time. After the cold war, Russia was at its weakest, poor and burdened.
It didn’t know where its next meal would come from. Then the demand for natural gas and oil kicked in.
Everyone was looking for Russia’s oil and gas. And Russia, smelling the chance, put its house in order and cashed in.
By the early 2000s, Russia was rich. It had so much money it didn’t know what to do with it.
The Middle East had their chance too. God seemed to have dealt them a bad hand that they only had arid deserts and nothing much.
They couldn’t grow much in a desert. They had very little fresh water. Their hand seemed a losing hand.
Again, until the oil prices took off! They put their house in order and drilled and drilled. They drilled their way out of their seeming misfortune.
This led them into incredible prosperity and wealth that we see today. Visit Dubai today and ask for the pictures of Dubai few decades back, you will see the power of harnessing an opportunity when its presented you.
Today, the world is pivoting to a more sustainable world and world powers are realigning. The oil and natural gas of yesterday is being replaced by the new technologies of tomorrow. Climate change, netzero targets and global warming is driving this transition.
It so just happens that those newer technologies of tomorrow are being built on copper and such minerals. The minerals we have in abundance in our ground across Zambia. God must have been Zambian 🤗 🤷🏾♂️.
It’s our INCREDIBLE moment now. It’s the moment that will define us for the next 100yrs.
Its a momemt that if we harnessed it like Russia and the middle east did with their chance, we will also have our own beautiful stories to tell our grandchildren and their grandchildren.
I see a turning point right here. And I see all the possibilities. And I thank ZCCM for their vision when they trained so many professionals that can handle the complexities of the mining industry.
These experts are right there at home and being sparingly utilized. Others are spread across the globe. They are running mining operations in Australia, in America, in Canada, in South America.
You will find them – all of them trained, at great cost to the nation, at some of the best universities in the world by ZCCM.
These are Patriots and understand the sacrifice Zambia made on their behalf.
They will answer the call when President Hakainde Hichilema calls on them.
This is a moment bigger than our individual partisan politics. This is a moment bigger than our small political differences or political affiliations.
This is a eureka moment of national unity and a rallying point for all Zambians to move ourselves into prosperity like Russia did and others have.
It’s really our TIME.
I will be reaching out to the bulk of those that went through ZCCM various training programs for a position that we shall deliver to government and reaffirm the moment and opportunity we have right here right now.
Happy Sunday and wishing you a blessed week 🙏🏾.
