Zambia’s Development Stalled: Prof. Chirwa’s Vision Exposes Apathy and Incompetence

At the 2024 International Multi-Disciplinary Conference, renowned academic and engineer Professor Clive Chirwa laid bare Zambia’s crippling dependence on foreign aid and the blatant mismanagement of local resources. His call for innovation, education reform, and self-reliance should have been a wake-up call to a nation seemingly hell-bent on stagnation. Instead, it highlighted the stark reality of a country drowning in bureaucracy, corruption, and empty rhetoric.

In a scathing critique, Prof. Chirwa condemned Zambia’s tragic reliance on exporting raw materials, particularly copper, while failing to add any real value to these resources. “Africa produces raw materials worth billions but exports almost all of them,” he pointed out. While this statement is hardly new, it remains painfully true as Zambia continues to export copper, one of the world’s most valuable metals, with little to show for it. The government, rather than tapping into the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to bolster domestic industries, seems more concerned with lining the pockets of foreign corporations than empowering Zambians. The professor’s remarks only served to underline how far Zambia is from capitalizing on its own wealth.