Proudly Zambian Campaign – Beyond the Logo

LEWIS CHIMFWEMBE writes @SunZambianINITIATED by the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry in 2004, the Proudly Zambian Campaign seeks to spur job creation and economic development through the promotion of production and consumption of high-quality Zambian products.The Proudly Zambian marketing campaign gives each and every Zambian an opportunity to be part of those who want to ensurethis country has a better future. No effort is too small.It is important to stress that not all Zambian products on the local market are Proudly Zambian. Proudly Zambian products carryan official as shown below.The official logo differentiates a Proudly Zambian product from other products. The official logo is a mark of quality assuranceand national pride.The Proudly Zambian Campaign recognises that consumers want to buy goods of high standard and quality. To assureconsumers of this quality, products certified as ‘Proudly Zambian’ go through a vetting process to ensure that it is of the higheststandard to be classified under the campaign. Proudly Zambian products therefore, come with a quality assurance mark to assurethe consumer that the product has passed the standards test and is ready for consumption.The vetting process extends to good labour practices. Companies producing Proudly Zambian products are inspected to ensurethat they adhere to good labour practices. The importance of inspections is to upholds labour ethics and ensure that ProudlyZambian products are produced by a workforce that is treated with utmost respect and not subjected to inhuman treatment.The products under Proudly Zambian are also produced in environmentally friendly factories. The company producing theproduct(s) must comply with the Zambia Environment Management Authority (ZEMA) regulations to ensure their productionprocesses do not degrade the environment.The company must also be tax compliant in accordance with the laws of Zambia. The company wishing to obtain the logo musthave a valid tax clearance certificate to demonstrate that the company is a good citizen that upholds good business practice.Holistically, the campaign utilises several facets that ensure that not only products are benefitting but also the Government sincetax revenue is used to finance the development of economic infrastructure and other government programmes that supporteconomic growth and development in Zambia.In addition to promoting the production and consumption of high quality products, the Proudly Zambian Campaign seeks to spurjob creation. The 2019 Zambia Labour force survey by the Zambia Statistics Agency reports that the working age population – allpersons aged 15 and above – who are likely to work, stands at 9.4 million. Of this figure, only 2.9 million are currently inemployment, leaving a deficit of about 6.5 million jobs.By promoting the consumption of locally produced goods and services, the Campaign seeks to stimulate employment creationand close the job deficit gap. Consumers, by buying locally produced goods and services, will be creating demand for localproducts. Manufacturers will have to invest more in their factories and employ more people to produce the demand quantity andquality of goods and services to meet this demand.As Zambians, it is our duty to develop our industrial base and economy. We have a responsibility to create jobs for our growingpopulation. As a consumer, you can play a part in supporting economic development and employment creation by choosing tosupport and buy local products. So, next time you want to buy a product, think local first. The Sun