25/01/2018
THE NEXT STEP FOR LUANSHYA..
A Wise man once said The road does not tell the traveller what is ahead. Earlier this week we officially head the news that Baluba Mine will be open after going under care and maintenance in Mid 2015 owing to positive changes in the price of Copper at the London Metal exchange LME.
It is not the first time Baluba will be reopening after a fall in prices, During The global economic Crisis of 2008 the mine closed. It is a well know Fact that Mining is the Core of Luanshya and development of the District is Largely hinged on it. We can never be sure of just when next this pendulum affair of moving from open to close and back to open the close will hit us. Moving forward Luanshya need Begin to establish more strongly in other Avenue they Create a certain future for its young population ,65% of The district population are below the age of 35 According to CSO most are unskilled and unemployment, one key area the District can look at is Technology. Currently there is no Technological hub for Country.
Today there are more smart phones in African than ever before, nearly half of the worlds population have access to a form on ICT tool, the uniques of venturing into such areas has technology is in the broadness that it bring, technological is applicable in transport, trade, communication, mining , education, Agriculture culture practically in every sector .it's more of a common denominator of all sectors. Imagine A start up based in that create a platform from Bana Mulenga in Mpatamatu to Sell her bags of Maize to Mr Patel miller in Kabwe, fictional has it might sound but the power of technology bring such to realisation. Look at How ideas of technology have reached you and i ,practical they they have become part of our daily life. When Vodafone started the mobile money in Kenya around 2011 ( an ideas from start ups in Kenya) who would have though it would be at this level year later , today it has been borrowed even in India and Afghanistan.
However for this to really take of the right set of skills, policy ,funding in this aspect the Government has to be drawn into. Policies that make Luanshya a Tech hub should be brought into the picture if the plack of mining is to be removed from the eyes of the Luanshya residents . Mining will continue to disappoint us if we do not change our religiously belief that it is the only way to Personal economic freedom , job creation and development of Luanshya .