Op 13 april jongstleden vond in De Kargadoor in Utrecht de Zambiadag 2013 plaats. De organisatie was in handen van Stichting Werkgroep Zambia. Het volledige verslag van de dag vindt u hier.
Frederik Hengelveld was zo vriendelijk ons zijn gehele presentatie (Engels) aan te leveren. Die kan dus in zijn geheel hier worden teruggelezen.
Tenslotte hebben veel bezoekers de moeite genomen het enqueteformulier in te vullen. De evaluatie daarvan vindt u hier.
WIj danken alle bezoekers en hopen op een nog mooiere editie volgend jaar!
English version of Zambia Day 13 April 2013 Report :
Zambia Day 13 April 2013 (Utrecht, Kargadoor, Oudegracht 36), summary report
Present: 58 representatives of 23 small private initiatives and 12 large (professional) aid organisations, and 5 individuals, together 63 persons. The evaluation form has been filled by 28 participants (44 %). The average evaluation score is mentioned in italic at the end of each part.
- 1. Welcome and Opening by Nelke van der Lans, Chair Platform Zambia
Nelke refers to the developments leading to this Zambia Day. The Dutch Embassy in Lusaka is closing down due to the abolition of Zambia as partner country in Dutch international development policy. Therefore, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs could no longer take part in the organization of the Zambia Day as was customary since 2007. The Working Group Zambia had to find another location and worked very hard during the last year to develop a program. Target groups for today were:
- The original participants of former Zambia Days (representatives of small development cooperation organizations dealing with Zambia)
- Zambian people in the Netherlands who usually felt excluded from the Dutch Zambia Days, organized by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Therefore, today’s language is partly English, partly Dutch, and we have included a practical parallel program in the afternoon that might interest Zambians living in the Netherlands.
Main purpose of today will be the networking between each other and with professional aid organizations such as Cordaid and the Wild Geese. While explaining today’s program Nelke regrets to announce that the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is unable to attend and deliver a speech as was programmed. The Chair of the Day, Wim Goris, will replace her as much as possible.
She also introduces the other board members of Platform Zambia, which has replaced the Working Group Zambia and established the website www.platformzambia.nl. Thereafter, the day was officially opened by singing the National Anthem of Zambia.
This part of the program was evaluated by an average score of 7.9.
- 2. Consequences of the closure of the Dutch Embassy in Lusaka for Zambians and Dutch NGO’s, by Wim Goris (member of the Zambia Day committee).
Due to the short notice about the absence of the Ministry (yesterday afternoon) there was no other option than searching on the internet for information on the actual Dutch Policy of Development Co-operation and the resulting withdrawal from Zambia.
Several reports are published on the website www.rijksoverheid.nl.
The Minister for Development Co-operation Lilianne Ploumen has explained the new policy in a Memo and a brochure, indicating that Trade interests have opened a new area for the relationships with developing countries. Our care for the poorest in the world combined with the trade priority will determine the new international perspective.
The Embassy’s closure will quite certainly affect the present activities in the context of development relationships with Zambia. The ‘end of an era’ has been formulated by Marja Hinfelaar working in Lusaka as follows: “Whereas donors used to contribute 40 % of Zambia’s national budget, this has now reduced to 7 to 8 %, a low figure, especially compared to surrounding countries like Mozambique and Tanzania. The Zambian government’s decreasing dependence on traditional aid has had a direct impact on its relationship with donors. Traditional development cooperation is gradually losing its importance while Zambia is marketing itself more and more as a place for business and investment.”
This part of the program was evaluated by an average score of 7.2.
- 3. The strategic partnership between the Rabobank Development section and ZANACO, and their role in Zambia’s economy, by Frank Nagel and Cornelius Nabayama.
Early in this century the Rabobank decided to use its knowledge on rural area banking by applying it in African countries. They started in 2005 in Tanzania, where the first co-operation contract with an African bank was signed. Then Zambia followed in 2007, when the government owned Zambia National Commercial Bank was privatized after which ZANACO became a partner of the Rabobank. ZANACO has developed into the leading bank in Zambia with a big network of bank locations throughout the whole country. Still, the bank is rather small compared to the Dutch situation. In financial terms the bank is smaller than the Amsterdam office of the Rabobank.
The potential in Zambian food industry and agriculture is high. The copper mines cause the main part of the 3-6% economic growth but the welfare has not been equally divided among the population groups. The development of the Zambian economy can be characterized as follows: the political environment is rather stable and the economic growth is currently 6.8%. The inflation is not as high anymore as in the past. The majority of the economic initiatives should have local ownership.
From the audience came the following remarks:
- A woman from Mongu had good experience with a loan that enabled her to start a business.
- Another person mentioned that a lot of paperwork is still needed causing the waiting time to last up to 6 weeks.
The speakers mention that the procedure with scorecards (as being used in Rwanda) will be introduced in Zambia.
Currently, it is quite difficult to get a loan in Zambia with an interest lower than 15%.
This part of the program was evaluated with an average score of 7.3.
- 4. Presentation of the new website www.platformzambia.nl, by Marnix Walters, webmaster.
At the end of 2009 the paper quarterly Zambia Newsletter ceased to exist. It was replaced by a digital version on the website set up by the Working Group Zambia (werkgroepzambia.nl), but it did not work properly. In the summer of 2012 it was decided to change the website into a platform for all organizations and persons involved with Zambia. Besides the actual news about Zambia combined with background information, room is created for information about the Zambia related organizations and persons. This possibility could also be useful for Zambians in the Netherlands and Dutch people in Zambia, and also for small businesses.
Currently, 25 private initiatives have subscribed to the website. They are categorised according to the sector in which they work (health, education, agriculture, etc.) and shown on a map of Zambia. In the near future the interaction between the subscribers will be stimulated. Any contribution (such as publications, announcements of activities, questions and answers) can be submitted through the Contact button.
The website is presented and explained by Marnix.
Since 2009, the websites have been professionally set up and managed by Marnix, completely voluntarily, and today’s occasion is used by the Day Chair to thank him very much for his tremendous work.
This part of the program has been evaluated by an average score of 7.5.
- 5. Program posting retired managers abroad (PUM Netherlands Senior Experts) and the small and medium businesses in Zambia, by Bert Trienen
Financial expert Bert Trienen has been requested twice by Kubu Crafts in Livingstone to come a few weeks in order to give advice. Kubu crafts is a furniture making business which started with simple tools in a small shed with 3 furniture makers in 1997. Nowadays, it is a business with 70 employees, 3 shops in Livingstone and an extension in Lusaka (Manda Hill). Bert Trienen enthusiastically presented his experiences supported by a slide show.
PUM (www.pum.nl) is a volunteer organization established in 1978 by one of the Employer Organizations NCW with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The last 35 years PUM experts have advised businesses in developing countries and rising markets which cannot afford commercial consultants. PUM connects these businesses with Dutch professionals who like to voluntarily transfer their knowledge based on experiences of many years. They perform during short mission periods (1 – 3 weeks) and directly in the working place, thus stimulating entrepreneurship, self-reliance and sustainable development of the small and medium local businesses.
The expert to be posted must be between 50 and 72 years old, having more than 30 years of experience. The request can be done by the target group in the developing country as well as by the concerned Dutch organization for example a board member of a foundation. PUM pays for the travel and medical costs; the receiving organization is supposed to take care of the local accommodation, food and transport.
The presentation by Bert Trienen has been evaluated by an average score of 7.7.
Addition:
Evert Hoorweg (
In Zambia PUM has the following local representatives:
Kathelijn Smulders (Kitwe):
Ingutu Mubita (Livingstone):
Carianne de Boer (Lusaka):
Etah Manda (Kasama):
Tenso Kalala (Solwezi):
- 6. Co-operation between the PI’s (private initiatives) and its effects, by Lucy Engelen, Chair of Partin (platform organization for small private initiatives)
Currently, about 220 of the estimated 5000 active groups in development co-operation have become a member of Partin. Aims of Partin are: sharing knowledge, co-operation, realization of concrete advantages, and interest promotion for the participants.
Advantages of participation in Partin are:
- Extra chance for subsidy requests at the Wild Geese
- 20% reduction for training and courses by the Wild Geese
- 5% reduction for international transport through Mission and Relief
- Collective project submissions and fund requests
Less visible but just as important are the activities concerning political lobby, publicity and the contacts with other organizations in the field of development co-operation.
Partin participates in the current discussion about re-evaluation of the ANBI status of good aim organizations. The Dutch government wants to apply stricter criteria for recognition of the good aim organization enabling donors to deduct donations from the income tax. Online registration of the financial annual report, a policy plan and a report of activities will be a condition starting in 2014. Partin supports with the registration, e.g. filling forms.
Co-operation helps to increase the influence of PI’s in the field of development co—operation. Altogether the good aim organizations could be the largest organization in this field. If Partin grows, Dutch politics cannot ignore us anymore. Subscription to Partin costs €5 monthly, registration at the Chamber of Commerce is a condition. www.partin.nl
This part of the program was evaluated by an average score of 7.5.
PARALLEL PROGRAM 7-9
- 7. Integrated Solar Cooking, by Petty Liseliwena-Heerebout
Petty gives information on integrated solar cooking based on her experiences. She introduced it in her home village area Mongu and surroundings and trained the staff at the Saint Francis’ Hospital in Katete. She learned about the method in the Netherlands and was trained by Solar Cooking Netherlands (www.solarcooking.nl). This foundation works since 2004 in East Africa (Uganda, Ethiopia and Eritrea) to implement sustainable cooking by using the sun.
The system consists of a half circle carton that is plastered with aluminiumfoil, in which a black cooking pan is put. The structure stands in the sun for 2 to 3 hours. Many kinds of dishes can be prepared in this way: vegetables, fast cooking meat and nshima.
Besides this, a hay basket and a wood saving oven can be used. Petty wants to start a production chain in Zambia but it was difficult to find the right big carton sheets (to plaster with aluminiumfoil from the cigarettes industry). It seems only available in the Copperbelt.
Petty’s husband Hans has developed a more sustainable solar cook kit with the same model by using rejected aluminium sheets from printing-offices.
The presentation by Petty was evaluated by an average score of 7.4.
- 8. Tribal textiles, by Fridah Chishiba
Fridah explains the way Tribal Textiles works (www.tribaltextiles.co.zm). She imports fabric materials from Zambia into the Netherlands, which are designed and printed by local groups near by the South Luangwa National Parc. The netto benefits go back to the local population.
Fridah’s presentation was evaluated by an average score of 6.9.
- 9. Community Based Tourism in Zambia. A potential or a dream? by Frederik Hengeveld
Frederik has been involved with Tourism through different companies and organizations: the Munda Wanga Trust (www.mundawanga.com) 2005 -2010, Open Africa (www.openafrica.org) until July 2011 (end of contract), then back to Munda Wanga in October 2011 until February 2013. He then returned with his family to The Netherlands.
He has been part of many tourism meetings for Lusaka and for different other areas such as Mpika, Mongu, Bangweulu, Kasanka, Livingstone and Sesheke (Upper-Zambezi). In 2009 he conducted a project for SNV, where they mapped the value chain linked to tourism in two different areas in Zambia. Tourism in Zambia is broken down in:
- High-end tourism: mainly fly-in, all inclusive packages, all is set and arranged in advance. There is little possibility for community projects to be included, unless they are adopted by the lodge.
- Luxury Tourism: Self-drive, package, mostly booked in advance and little possibility for community involvement.
- Low-end, backpacking: Self-drive, accommodation arranged in advance, but generally interested to see what the community has to offer.
- Tours, supply of fruits and vegetables, crafts. But also traditional dances, campsites other accommodation, etc.
A good example of community based tourism is Nakapalayo between the Lavushi Manda National Park and the Bangweulu Swamps.
Community based tourism is generally seen as purely tourism, but loads of other income generating activities can be included:
- Campsites
- Guided tours of a village, orphanage, forest area (birding, wildlife), etc
- Supply chain of fruits and vegetables
- Supply of curios and crafts
- Community Game Farms
- Community experience
- Guest houses
The biggest BUT to this is that it needs to be community driven, otherwise there is no ownership and it WILL FAIL. Therefore the community members need to provide:
- Land, Human resource (manpower), Materials, etc
The NGO can still provide back up, support and expertise to keep things moving. These initiatives can provide a great additional income for little cost. The NGO can assist with:
- Starting Capital as a loan,
- Technical assistance
- Business plan, and Strategic plan,
- Keeping focus and on track
- Quality control (this is what the potential customer wants to see, these are the standards, basic, but clean)
- Marketing Channels, travel agents, general public
- Provide business, refer tourists to the area.
- Generate more attention, website, flyers in other places.
Link with local operators and networks is important to be seen and generate the traffic that can make a venture sustainable, but above all, keep the people interested. Having a high-end entity, you might get one guest who pays for the whole year, but you rather have low end with more people so that the staff is busy year round and that they keep interested, up-to-date and continue to improve on the job.
For questions and other queries:
His presentation was evaluated by an average score of 8.0.
- 10. Feedback (evaluated by 7.3), Arrangements for next Zambia Day (evaluated by 8.0), and Networking (evaluated by 7.7).
The opportunity of networking was most appreciated by the participants, but many would prefer extended and more structured networking by group discussions to enable more experience exchanges.
The location (Utrecht) was evaluated positive. Next year the Zambia Day will be organized by the Foundation Muli Shani in Overijssel.
At the end of the formal day program, Wim Goris as Chair of the day introduced Chris C Mbewe, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Zambia, who attended a big part of the day together with a colleague. Wim entertains the hope that this will be the start of a process in which the Zambian Embassy “takes over the stick” of the Dutch Embassy, and as a symbol he hands over a traditional Zambian broom to Chris.
That is the formal end of the day, after which the informal networking starts with drinks and bites.