THE long-awaited revival of Zambia-China Mulungushi Textiles (ZCMT) in Kabwe is a welcome development that will certainly improve the living standards of the people in Kabwe, specifically and Zambia entirely.
According to a pronouncement by President Edgar Lungu, the moribund factory is set to re-open for operations tomorrow with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) engaging 300 employees at the initial stage.
As operations will continue, the firm is expected to have an employee base of 2,500 by December this year, making it one of the biggest employers in the town.
ZCMT has been asleep for the past nine years and the Government’s attempt to revive it last year through a lease agreement with Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Limited (MeTL), also encountered legal complications, further delaying the re-opening process.
The move to revive the factory is a welcome development as since its closure, Kabwe has inherited the tag of “ghost town” with residents subjected to squalor.
The revival of the textile as the move would promote value addition to raw lint which was being exported in its raw form.
This development provides for investment to boost the cotton growing industry, bringing benefits for farmers and other entrepreneurs in the business.
Cotton farmers now have a ready market and an obviously reliable client which will offer lucrative prices of procuring the raw material.
Zambia has performed poorly in the textile business with literally a zero-export base, forcing local consumers to rely on imported clothing which is purchased at exorbitant prices, though quality maybe compromised.
With the resurgence of Mulungushi textiles, the country will certainly be able to develop its textile market and attract elusive markets aboard.
IDC is proving to be a profitable mode of reigniting Zambia’s subdued manufacturing industry as evidenced by its recent plans to revive other firms like Kawambwa Tea Company in Luapula Province.
The conglomerate should facilitate fresh capital injection in the firm so that its outlook can improve and operations meet both local and foreign demand for the garments.
This will lead the way in improving the country’s feeble textile export industry and enable Zambia go far in penetrating regional and global markets for the products.
The Government should ensure that the textile factory serves as a tool to promote the economic diversification programme which has been targeted at sectors such as agriculture.
The ministries’ of Commerce, Trade and Industry and Agriculture should collaborate in ensuring that availability of raw materials and the production process are running uninterruptedly.
Government should also enhance the buy Zambia campaign so that the people are able to support ZCMT by purchasing locally available garments from there than abroad.
The managers of the facility should also implement strategies of penetrating both the local and international market.
There are a lot of trading incentives and facilities that can be exploited by Government, solely or through Public Private Partnership but ultimately, the aim should be to create wealth for Zambians.