Open Letter to Our Political Leaders, Yours Truly Women Entrepreneurs
2021 was a year of significant loss on the political and leadership front globally. As news of the death of Zambia’s first president reached me in June 2021, the news was accompanied by publications of his legacy. It made me think of the other presidential leaders we have had, alive and deceased, and their legacies. Specifically, I was asking the question- How have they impacted women’s enterprising in Zambia? Did they leave us better off or worse off?
Kaunda implemented an educational policy that provided free exercise books, pens, and pencils to all children, regardless of their parents’ financial situation. The primary responsibilities of the parents were to purchase uniforms, pay a nominal “fee,” and ensure that their children attended school. This method meant that the top students were encouraged to attain their best achievements, whether male or female, from primary school through university level. This legacy of a basic education for all contributed to the evident educational attainment of Zambian women entrepreneurs that were raised in this era. However, enterprise activity in itself was stifled under the controlled economy.
The most striking thing about Chiluba’s policies is my inability to accurately and succinctly describe their impact. This is because as a political leader, as said in the words of Dipak Patel- a veteran Zambian politician, “He started off very well on the economic front but was consistently inconsistent. That is his legacy.” Chiluba introduced policies to create a free market economy, to liberalise Zambia from the controlled planned state under Kaunda. This initially birthed new entrepreneurial opportunities but his reversal on some of the facets of liberalisation plundered the economy of the entrepreneurial progress that had began to be made.
Mwanawasa’s government prioritised food security by increasing agricultural support. The Farmer Input Support Program was set as a cornerstone of Zambia’s agricultural policy, which aided in increasing private sector participation in agricultural input markets and improving family food security. There is a correlation during this period of improved food security and higher meaningful enterprise activity. There are numerous policy initiatives attributable to Mwanawasa, and together these culminated in 2005 to a near-total discharge of Zambia’s foreign debt. This freed up significant resources for the government to combat unemployment and invest in critical social sectors such as education, agriculture, and health care.
Largely lauded as a ‘business-friendly leader’, Banda’s years of leadership coincided with significant economic growth in Zambia of 8 to 9 per cent of GDP, year on year. Some critics argue that this was the manifestation of his predecessor’s (Mwanawasa’s) initiatives. The years of economic growth however were not seen to have an impact at the grassroots and so his impact on small and medium sized entities is viewed with some criticism. Although an advocate of private sector involvement in the economy, Banda was also criticised for a poor handling of Chinese government backed enterprises competing in Zambian private enterprise sectors.
One of the most notable of Sata’s policies for enterprise activity was the anti-dollarization of the economy and rebasing of the Zambian Kwacha. Praised by some for strengthening the true value of the national currency, the move was equally criticised for increasing inflation. The business community was largely unimpressed by this 2012 move for its inconveniences in disrupting international trade, increasing losses in high value domestic purchases and the loss of a reliable store of value. Exporters were immediately impacted with a higher cost of their goods and importers with the inverse; losers and winners respectively.
The start of Lungu’s presidency was marked with rising credit ratings and unprecedented investor interest. Progressively, there was seemingly unclear policy direction and the nation entered another debt crisis. The cost of living rose as well, with the yearly inflation rate reaching their highest levels in nearly two decades. With households struggling to meet their basic needs, the nature of enterprise activity descended into necessity based and ‘off the books’. The challenges of a global pandemic in the latter years of his presidency did not help.
As we wrap up 2021, this is my humble call to action to those with the power and influence to make a difference. A glimpse into the legacies of our past leaders indicates that each of our leaders had visions with the potential to improve the welfare and abilities of our enterprising community. However, some of these efforts have been eroded due to internal inconsistencies in the bodies of leadership and a discontinuity of action during government handovers.
Although the faces of leadership and the writings of policy change- it is us ordinary folk that remain living (and reeling) from the impacts of what has been done. Think about your impact beyond your politics.
I began 2021 with an intention to increase the visibility of women’s enterprising on the whole and elicit solution-focused discussion on the issues raised. I explored how BREXIT and the COVID pandemic presented a plethora of challenges for women entrepreneurs in the UK. I then went on to look at how technology can be a benefit as well as hindrance to women’s enterprising.
After considering the interplay of these external factors on women’s enterprises, I moved my studies closer to the women entrepreneurs themselves. Contrary to the largely negative narrative on how motherhood affects women’s enterprising, I reflected on the positive aspects of motherhood on women’s work.
Although I would have loved to remain focussed on the positive, I could not avoid the issues of harassment and violence that women entrepreneurs are exposed to. I drew inspiration from my motherland, where the progressive movement of women in enterprise and leadership has proven to offer some mitigation from these vices. The laborious nature of women’s enterprising however continues to persist as a challenge long overdue for resolution.
The common thread in all my areas of investigation is the impact that political leaders can make. We need you. We need you to act thoughtfully and purposefully. We thank you for your service and do not stand in judgement- we only ask you to take an honest reflection on what you have done and could be doing to improve our condition.
Let 2022 give us all something to smile about.