FOR every investment, there must be a return, otherwise it is not worthy undertaking.
In this vein the Vice-President, Dr Guy Scott, has a point to demand that Zambians serving in foreign missions should justify the huge sums of tax-payers’ money spent to sustain their operations.
For instance, Government is spending a total of K300,000 per month on accommodation alone for a 10-member workforce serving at the Zambian mission in Angola.
This is a colossal amount of money considering that it goes along with other remunerations such as monthly allowances, including health and education.
Borrowing the words of former US president, the late John F Kennedy, to whom much is given, much is expected.
All those representing Zambia in foreign missions should be reminded that expectations of Government – their appointing authority-and the people of Zambia, the tax-payers, are very high.
The responsibility on the shoulders of our diplomats is huge and should not, in any way, be trivialised.
Our diplomatic missions have so many important roles to play for quick sustainable economic development of our country, and economic diplomacy has proved to be a very effective tool in this regard.
It all starts by projecting our country in positive light to the host countries to be able to attract foreign direct investment. The mammoth task is, therefore, that of marketing Zambia as a favourable investment and tourism destination.
We expect our foreign missions abroad to identify the demand for local products in the host markets and facilitate business-to-business (B2B) interactions to promote export.
They should also be able to play a vital role in technology transfer and upgrade, for instance, by facilitating scholarships being provided for by many developed countries.
With high unemployment levels that Government has been working hard to reduce, diplomatic missions can help by arranging for manpower export to their host countries hence earning foreign currency through remittances.
Replicating best practices could be a good means for development. Diplomatic missions should take keen interest in practices that have worked for other countries, especially those with whom we share similar backgrounds.
For instance, Angola is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and Zambia, through its mission in Luanda, will do well to learn from it.
There is so much that our foreign missions can do to improve the economic, social and cultural welfare of our country.
But this can only be so if we have people who understand that they have been placed there to contribute to the development of mother Zambia and not take it as an all-paid-for-expenses holiday.
Revelation by the Auditor General’s report that a named diplomat is paying $10,000 for a child in nursery school using tax-payers’ money raises serious moral questions and one is left to wonder if all our diplomats accepted those positions with a view to contributing to national development or solely for personal gain.
It is our appeal to the President to ensure that he recalls any diplomat found wanting or failing in their duties.
In as much as Government spends a lot of money to sustain foreign missions, we expect huge returns in terms of good international relations, more investment, trade, tourists and more development in general. “To whom much is given, much is expected”.
194 total views, 18 views today