In his State of the Nation Address on the ‘Progress made in the application of the national values and principles’ delivered to the fifth session of the twelfth National Assembly on Friday 12th February 2021, President Lungu noted that “more of our local products are being sold in shops”. In addition, President Lungu was encouraged by the increasing number of people consuming local products and he viewed this as an indication that the Proudly Zambian Campaign (PZC) had taken root.
The Campaign was commenced in 2004 as an initiative by the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry (MCTI), to promote the production and consumption of high-quality Zambian manufactured products. Despite this, the Campaign was only launched in 2018 following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM) and MCTI in February 2018. The MoU gave ZAM the mandate to implement and manage the PZC. Since the launch of the Campaign, 33 companies have been vetted and registered under PZC as producers of high-quality goods and more have applied for registration.
To ensure only high-quality products are registered and branded with the official PZC logo, PZC membership applications go through a vetting process. Standards Certificate issued by the Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS), Certificate of Incorporation issued by the Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) and Tax Clearance Certificate issued by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) are among the key documents required by the Vetting Committee before approval is granted to use the logo. In addition to encouraging standardisation, the Campaign encourages formalisation, compliance to regulations and good manufacturing practices. Thus, certification to use the official PZC Logo, as displayed, demonstrates a mark of quality assurance. PZC also aids prospective members who may have challenges with meeting the above requirements.
To promote the consumption of Proudly Zambian products, PZC implements a variety of activities. The activities include media sensitisation, expos, conferences and publications in newsletters and magazines. Through such activities the general public is enlightened on the benefits of consuming local products. Buying locally produced goods and services contributes to job creation, industrialisation and economic development. While the Campaign activities are yielding positive results as more and more people are consuming local products, PZC has noted that more effort is required to actualise the full potential of the Campaign. Therefore, the Campaign targets to increase its reach to all corners of Zambia and beyond in 2021.
PZC engages directly with single-large buyers such as supermarket chain stores, mining firms and government departments to increase the uptake of local products. Strengthening business linkages between the local producers and single-large buyers has potential to create many jobs. For example, a 2014 study by the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICCM) estimated that tripling mining expenditure directed at local manufacturing, from USD 100 million, could create 15,000 new jobs.
Through the above outlined initiatives and activities, the Proudly Zambian Campaign is stimulating interest in Zambians to buy more of local products. It is important that the Zambian people direct 100% of their goods and services expenditure on products that are produced locally. It is also vital that all producers of goods and services join the Campaign and acquire the rights to use the official PZC logo. Let us all embrace production and consumption of top quality locally produced goods and services. So next time you think of buying something, think local first!
