Home sweet home!

I will be visiting Zambia next week for a couple of weeks. This will be my first in almost 5 years.

The plan at the moment is to provide a running commentary during my stay on how the country has progressed (or not). If technology fails me then I will provide a summary on my return.

One of the impressions I have gathered is that the country is experiencing an age of prosperity. “People are doing fine”. I would be interested exploring the range of activities powering the economic engine but also how the common man at the bottom of the pile is fairing. Looking at the latest food basket statistics, my guess is that the common man and woman are struggling to make ends meet.

What of the UPND-PF Pact? Is it as strong as we are made to believe here in the Diaspora or the MMD will still scoop the next elections?

Are the printed and broadcast news outlets still as poor as their internet offerings?

What is the current state of the basic infrastructure (schools, hospitals, roads) up and down the country?

We have heard about the Chinese invasion. How is this affecting commerce and industry?

Finally a topic closer to heart at the moment is energy security. I would be following up on the GRZ policy on renewable energy sources and feed in tariffs (FiT) regime.

I do not intend to undertake detailed studies but gather snippets of information by observing and talking to folks on my travels.

Keep an eye on the blog and wish me luck!

The Panel