This is the first 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:

What are your plans this weekend? Meeting up with friends or family? Watching TV? Maybe a spot of shopping or a trip to watch the match? I’ll tell you about my weekend plans. On Friday I’m taking a 10-hour overnight flight from Heathrow to Zambia. Saturday morning will see me landing in the capital, Lusaka, to start a two-week adventure. This will be my first time in the Southern Hemisphere and I plan to check out the rumour that bathwater swirls down the plug in the opposite direction. Alongside such trivial curiosities I’ll also be investigating the transport and logistics industry in Zambia and broadening my cultural horizons.

This is the second 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:

Today was a series of journeys and goodbyes. Thank you to my lovely husband for dropping me off at Warrington Bank Quay railway station to take the train to Euston (Virgin Pendolino, of course). It was drizzling in London, but that’s nothing compared to the rainy season in Zambia, so I shrugged it off and nipped over the road into the Transaid office to say my final farewells to Chantelle and Erin. London Underground’s Northern and Piccadilly lines were both uneventful. Ed and Nick met me for lunch in London (Happy Birthday Ed!).

My final goodbye was from my son, Alex, who had come all the way to Heathrow with me to see me off. Last, but not least, thank you to BA and BAA whose schedule to serve African destinations from Terminal 5 doesn’t come into effect until the end of April. Terminal 4 was operating like clockwork so Friday 28th March ended with me and all my luggage departing on the same plane, en route for Lusaka...

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.

Visit Clare's business website.

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.

This is the fourth 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:

In my shower, the water runs down the plughole very slowly. I think it’s going clockwise, but it’s hard to tell. As well as an intermittent supply of hot water, there’s a modern toilet, the single bed is clean, reasonably comfortable and furnished with an effective mosquito net. I’ve got adequate storage space, a noisy fridge, a rickety desk and a rather grand mirror on the wall, so I have no complaints about the Fairview Hotel.

Gary picked me up at 11am today for a trip to Chaminuka Lodge. It’s about
25 miles away but the journey took longer than you might expect because of the roads. Lusaka’s Great East Road runs all the way to Africa’s East coast, through Mozambique. All the parts of the road I’ve seen are dual carriageway with an asphalt surface which makes for easy driving conditions, but turning off the Great East Road, this no longer applies. The remaining 20 miles of our route was mainly wide and straight, but its orange sandy surface was constantly punctuated by obstacles such as rocks, 3-foot potholes, meandering pedestrians and even occasional speed-bumps.

This is the fifth 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 we formulated a list of the people I want to meet over the next couple of weeks. It includes government officials, training providers and transport operators from various modes. Some of them will respond best if I just call into their offices; others prefer a couple of days’ notice. I plan to ask everybody open questions about their opinions and demands of CILT.

The currency here is hard to equate. One pound sterling is about 7,200 Zambian Kwacha, so I feel like a millionaire with my purse full of huge notes. CILT has a handful of corporate members who each pay a subscription of about five million Kwacha. I started trying to imagine companies paying five million pounds for membership of CILT(UK) before I realised it’s more like 700 pounds. That’s still expensive in anyone’s currency though, and the important question I want to answer is what value they expect for their money.

Here are some of CILT Zambia’s National Executive Committee (NEC) members taken after a meeting on Saturday morning:

From left: Martin Mbangu (Dep. Dir. Safety – Road Transport and Safety Agency); Elias Zulu (CILT Trustee – University of Zambia); Henry Chipewo (Past President CILT Zambia); Clare Bottle on behalf of Transaid; Raymond Jhala (President CILT Zambia); Martin Chongo (Hilburn Transport Management Consultancy) and Milton Sakala (CILT Honorary Secretary).

This is the sixth 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:

I think it would be fair to describe today as hectic. Gary collected me from the hotel before 8am and six meetings later we were both still hard at work after 8pm. We must be (April) Fools.

This morning we started at the internet café and then headed over to the CILT Office for a meeting with Elias Zulu. Mr Zulu has been chairing a sub-Committee in preparation for my work and their recommendations include developing CILT’s capacity to undertake research projects. We agreed that it would be useful to list some of the topical issues in transport and logistics worthy of detailed study, such as congestion, road maintenance and rail privatisation.

Our second meeting was with a colourful character who goes by the nickname Flash, derived from the branding on his fleet of 150 minibuses. Much of the bus industry is run by independent owner drivers, but Flash operates a different business model. He provides vehicles and training for the drivers and he dictates which routes they serve. The drivers must ‘cash-in’ a fixed fee to Flash at the end of the day and they get to keep the remainder of the fares. Flash prides himself on reliable services and the strong bodywork of his vehicles which protects passengers. In his youth, Flash worked in London and he draws parallels with London Buses (for example, the front seat is always reserved for disabled passengers) although he is quick to point out that the economy of London isn’t transferable to Lusaka and there are no subsidies for bus services here.

Next it was the Truckers Association of Zambia (TAZ). They have dialogue with organisations such as the Zambia Business Forum and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, but not CILT, which they perceive as a quasi-governmental organisation with limited influence. We talked about skills shortages and in particular the difficulty of recruiting good workshop managers and mechanics for vehicle maintenance.

At 15:00 we visited the Industrial Training Centre where their Acting Director, Levy, acknowledged that ITC should be a corporate member of CILT, but felt the advantages of membership had not been spelt out clearly enough. ITC is hoping to be accredited by CILT International to provide their courses, building training capacity in Zambia. They would welcome local support from CILT Zambia during the process of accreditation.

Our penultimate meeting was with Charles, who runs two or three pan-regional haulage companies mainly moving industrial goods such as copper. Satellite tracking is compulsory for copper shipments and Charles was sceptical about this when it was introduced, but has grown to appreciate the management information it provides. Their entire fleet consists of Mercedes tractor units, which he described as “made for Africa” with the exception of the Actros, which was “ahead of its time”. Charles has heard that there’s a shortage of up to 3,000 trucks and drivers within the Southern Africa Development Community region and is keen to consider initiatives to address it.

Finally we talked to Chris at National Milling. They don’t operate their own fleet, but outside the Copperbelt mining operations, National Milling probably lets more transport contracts than anyone else. In South Africa it’s mandatory for logistics professionals to hold CILT qualifications and so Chris studied them when he worked there and he’s an advocate of formal training to supplement on the job experience. He lamented local customs such as the claim that removing the brake linings from the drive axle prevents jack-knifing. I wonder whether VOSA would buy that one?

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.

Visit Clare's business website.

This is the seventh 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, Henry (immediate Past President of CILT Zambia) met me in a coffee shop to discuss the 2002-2004 strategy. He feels that the reliance on volunteers is a barrier to success and recommends recruiting a Chief Executive. He is also frighteningly well-connected and was able to arrange some more meetings for me. Everywhere I go, people know Henry and the same applies to CILT’s current President, Raymond. This recognition bodes well for the Institute’s future.

After lunch we called at the railway station to take some pictures. I was thinking especially of all my train-spotting friends back home! Next week, we will have a proper meeting with Railway Systems of Zambia, but for today we had to take our leave and rush away to our next meeting.

When he was at school, Pearson wanted to work on aeroplanes. He learnt technical and mechanical skills and then supplemented these with administrative and managerial expertise acquired through CILT qualifications. He never fulfilled his childhood ambition, but now, as Transport Officer for ZESCO (national electricity provider) he is responsible for one of the largest vehicle fleets in Zambia. In Lusaka alone, ZESCO has over 200 drivers and in describing the difficulty of controlling them, Pearson tells me they are like cats: independently minded and running in all directions. Driver training arranged through Transaid is bearing fruit though and it is skilled vehicle mechanics and workshop equipment which currently cause Pearson the most headaches. His fleet of over 2,000 includes many different vehicle types: cars, mini-buses, 4X4s, vans, pick-up trucks and even some HGVs. They are all bought new, often from Toyota or Nissan, and the parts must be bought from the dealers too, to guarantee authenticity.

While we were talking, Pearson and I were joined by Captain Kasanga. If he sounds like a comic-book hero that might be because it takes super-human powers to be a transport and logistics professional in Zambia, but Pearson and the Captain are far from fictional. Kasanga’s role at the Ministry of Works and Supply puts him in charge of all the government vehicles in Zambia (with the exception of the health department); a total fleet of more than 4,500. In addition, he is working on the IFMIS Project to implement a government-wide SAP-based computer system for finance, with a significant transport management element.

Captain Kasanga reckons he has been a member of CILT for 45 years, but this year he is reluctant to renew his membership. He questions the benefits of membership and has been told it is due to problems in the UK that he has received no membership number or certificate. There is also concern that the international publication, CILT World, tends not to feature regional articles from Africa. We talked about the role which Zambia could play in strengthening the CILT Sections in neighbouring Malawi, Zimbabwe and Tanzania, supplying material for CILT World and promoting international dialogue on regional issues.

Our final meeting today was with Martin Mbangu, a senior Director at the Road Transport Safety Agency (RTSA). He explained that as Zambia’s economy has become more liberal, government is no longer in the business of managing transport operations and so the demand for qualified professionals in the private sector has increased. RTSA and CILT have a history of collaboration and there is potential to build on this.

Martin formerly worked on the government’s rail policy and shared his views on the reasons for change in 2003 and the subsequent performance of the concessionaire. I’ll write more on that when I’ve interviewed a representative of Railway Systems of Zambia next week: watch this space for more on the trains…

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.

Visit Clare's business website.

This is the eighth 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:

There’s a transport flavoured headline on the front page of today’s paper. According to the Times of Zambia, four former employees of the roads department are facing arrest. It is claimed that these four resigned from the roads department 11 months ago, moving to the Road Development Agency, but continued to draw their old salaries and allowances, defrauding Northern Province government administration of more than 74 million Kwacha (ten thousand pounds sterling).

Another item that caught my eye was a public notice from Honda, explaining to clients that their Parts Department in Lusaka is closed throughout this week for stock-checking.

This morning I met with Raymond, CILT’s President. Raymond says Ian Heggie was the Godfather of Road Safety reforms in Zambia. He explained that as African countries gained their independence during the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s (Zambia’s independence came in 1964) there was huge investment in the road infrastructure funded by borrowing from the World Bank. Lack of maintenance led to more borrowing in the 1970s and 1980s until a fuel levy was introduced in the 1990s, to fund safety programmes and especially road maintenance. This approach was Ian’s brain-child and he also secured hypothecation (ring-fencing the funds) despite opposition.

This is the ninth 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:

Our meeting schedule for this morning was unexpectedly quiet, so we headed for the sumptuous Intercontinental Hotel with its delicious coffee. Victor Simfukwe is a local Transaid volunteer whose knowledge of Lusaka would put any sat-nav system to shame and has been supporting Gary for several months. As part of Victor’s education about transport and logistics we fashioned an impromptu lecture on warehousing, illustrated by various photographs discovered on my laptop. Noticing a group of businessmen at the next table had stopped their conversation in order to watch us, I was sure my expertise on this fascinating topic had them enthralled, but it turned out that they were from Philips and merely observing the brand of my computer.

This is the 10th 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:

I took a stroll around the streets near my hotel this morning, photographing some sights which I hope might convey the general atmosphere of Lusaka. The weather was bright and sunny with a cooling breeze and not a cloud in the sky. By a stroke of good fortune these conditions were perfect for a wedding and today Wilton Sakala and Melai Nyambose are getting married. Wilton is CILT Zambia’s only employee, supporting volunteers and students alike with his administrative duties. Due to his pre-nuptial commitments I’d only met Wilton a couple of times but he had warmly invited me to accompany Gary to the wedding, a generous offer which I couldn’t wait to accept.

Arriving at 13:30 for a 14:00 wedding is laughable here because “This is Africa” and things didn’t get started for a while. Nevertheless, it gave me the chance to soak up the peaceful atmosphere of Lusaka’s lofty 1960s Cathedral. The calm was broken on several occasions by passing processions of festooned wedding cars, drivers tooting their horns whilst the passengers gave celebratory yells and hazard warning lights flashed with joy.

This is the 11th 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:

Packing up my things I felt a pang of sorrow to be temporarily leaving my new home at the Fairview Hotel. How on earth will I cope when I have to depart for good? Victor collected me soon after 9am and we set off for a two-day trip to Ndola, about 170 miles north of Lusaka.

This is the 12th 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:

On Kevin’s advice, Victor and I left Ndola just after 7am and took the dual-carriageway to Kitwe, arriving at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry office at 8am. Their Research & Marketing Officer is Mwansa Bantubonse. The Chamber has about 130 corporate members whose key logistics issue pertains to infrastructure. Mwansa outlined this dilemma which was soon to become a theme of our conversations with businesses on the Copperbelt.

This is the 13th 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:

Last night I returned to Ndola from the mines covered in a mixture of insect repellent, perspiration and pit dust. It’s a shame there was temporarily no running water at the Endesha Hotel, but I brushed my teeth with bottled water I’d brought along. This morning I hopefully turned on the taps, but they were still stubbornly unresponsive. After about an hour the hotelier was persuaded to bring a large bowl of cold water and at last I was able to have a scant but refreshing wash before rushing across town to meet Kevin.

This is the 14th 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:

John Chipowa is a CILT Member and works as Assistant Secretary on Air Transport, at the Ministry of Transport and Communications. He regrets the lack of transport studies available to policy makers in Zambia. He mentioned that CILT’s offices in the Showgrounds aren’t accessible. The nearest bus stop is at Manda Hill Shopping Centre, about 15 minutes walk away. The location of the offices is secluded and not well-known. John also described Zambia’s experience of concessioning its railway as a bitter lesson for government.

This is the 15th 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:

I spent the morning in my room at the Fairview Hotel, drafting my report of recommendations for CILT’s Zambia section. My head was spinning with ideas, but using yesterday’s briefing notes as a basis and incorporating the feedback from the meeting I was able to draft a structure and start marshalling my thoughts. I have to finalise the report next week and send it through by email.

This is the 15th 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:

Today is my birthday and I wake up feeling dreadful. Last night’s cocktails might have something to do with it, but even though I’ve had less than five hours sleep, I think the main reason I’m in such a bad state is the prospect of leaving Zambia.