By Alexander Nkosi
At this year’s Zambia International Trade Fair, Zambia National Service is exhibiting locally made shoes. ZNS makes shoes, clothes, furniture, food, agriculture equipment, food processing equipment and many other things. Note that ZNS is also into crop and livestock production.
These shoes in the picture are made by officers on government payroll (salaries covered by government), fuel, electricity, equipment, water and workshop all paid for by government. Note that whether there is production or not, government still covers most of these costs. The cost of production is so low. No foreign firm can produce such good quality shoes at a cost lower than ZNS. Imagine if ZNS is give a capital boost? Zambia would save millions from imported products and export high quality products at very low prices thereby outcompeting most foreign firms in the region and beyond.
