This is the third of a series of blog postings from Clare Bottle, who will be telling us about her travels in Zambia - supported by transport charity Transaid - to see what the transport industry is like out there:
This morning I awoke to see that the sun had risen on the Eastern side of the plane, but the view from my tiny window was still one of night-time. It felt like I was on the brink of something. As dawn broke, I marvelled over enticing views of a Zambian landscape that was much lusher than I’d expected.
When Gary met me at the airport he confirmed that the end of the rainy season is an excellent time to visit because of the beautiful greenery and pleasant climate. Having worked in logistics for Procter and Gamble in Bournemouth, Gary gave it all up for an ex-pat lifestyle in Lusaka. As Transaid’s Regional Programme Manager for Southern Africa he will be my guide and mentor for the next couple of weeks. After a much needed caffeine-rush at the luxurious Intercontinental Hotel we drove over to the Showgrounds where Zambia’s Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) has its HQ.
Our meeting was scheduled to begin at ten, but I’d been warned “This is Africa” where time-keeping is often relaxed, so I was happy enough with our eventual 10:45 start: at least it gave me the chance to individually meet and greet each of the members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) as they arrived. Those in attendance were Henry Chipewo, Martin Chongo, Raymond Jhala, Martin Mbangu, Tambala Muyawala, Milton Sakala and Elias Zulu.
Henry is the Immediate Past President of CILT and was described as single-handedly developing the previous strategic plan. Broadly, the objectives within that plan have already been met, such as funding and designing new premises, which are currently awaiting planning permission and will be built later in 2008. Elias works at the University of Zambia and has been chairing a Strategic & Business Plan Sub-Committee of the NEC in preparation for my arrival. The aim of our project is to develop a strategic plan for the next five years, capitalising on many new opportunities in Zambia.
In contrast with the casual start-time, the initial business of the NEC was conducted very formally, with a series of proposals and counter-proposals about modifications to the agenda whilst current President, Raymond, reminded his colleagues to address everything through the Chair. Eventually it was agreed to focus upon the report from the Strategic and Business Plan Sub-Committee and a briefing about Milton’s recent meeting with the Minister of Communications and Transport.
We talked about the existing strengths of CILT in Zambia, which include a very committed NEC with an established secretariat, a small but growing membership including corporate members and a range of respected courses for students. The future for CILT in Zambia looks bright!
If you’d like to know more and would consider sponsoring me, please visit my charity giving page: http://www.justgiving.com/clarebottle.
Clare Bottle is a freelance logistics specialist, with experience and market knowledge in storage, packaging and transport; she is also a Board Director and Trustee of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport UK.