COMESA 2018 | Page 21

SPECIAL REPORT to African unity, with lukewarm to mildly warm attitudes towards regional integration; these pale in comparison to African forefathers’ strong convictions about a unifi ed Africa. The risk of an inadequate handover of the ideal of regionalism to the next generation is very real. On this score, prospects to entrench the ideology of regionalism in the next generation’s mental wiring are under threat. On the external side, as one example of latent tension introduced from outside the continent, the influence of China cannot be ignored. The world’s largest exporter has been making a move on Africa with massive project- and debt-fi nancing investments in infrastructure as well as equity and other fi nancings in industries. In 2015, it ramped up its initiative for Africa, FOCAC, raising the fi nancing stakes to $60 billion for the period 2015-2018, a move that sent large African economies like South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Angola scrabbling for maximum shares of the funds set aside for infrastructure development, industrialisation, and talent discovery. Because of the prospects of using Chinese fi nancing to build individual productive capacities and setting themselves apart, individually, as growth and export hubs, for a moment, Africa’s economic big economies got caught up in the allure of the fi rst-come-fi rst-serve opportunities of FOCAC and all but forgot about the AU’s Agenda 2063. These are some of the key new internal and external issues that will infl uence and shape Africa’s path towards regionalism amidst growing protectionism in the West and in the East. How proactive and dynamic Africa will be in defi ning or refi ning its preferred course of development and how quickly it will regroup with commensurate policy, strategic, structural and regional agenda reforms will be decisive for the success of regional integration or, for the breakaway of Africa from regionalism.  * The author is a Senior Research Fellow at the Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR) and Associate Executive Director at the Southern African Institute for Policy and Research (SAIPAR). WHAT WE DO CONTACT DETAILS ZCCM-IH Office Park, Stand 16806, Alick Nkhata Rd, Mass Media bP O Box 30048, Lusaka , Zambiab ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc +260 211 221023b::: [email protected] ZCCM-IH currently has an investment portfolio of 15 companies, including biggest mines in Zambia, such as Kansanshi Mining Plc, Mopani Copper Mines Plc and Konkola Copper Mines Plc. Shareholdings in these companies range from 10% to 100%, with commodities and services that are diversified in nature, including copper, gold, cobalt, coal and power, telecom, limestone, financial services and gemstones. ZCCM-IH in its strategy, has prioritized the diversification of its portfolio, which is predominantly exposed to the mining sector. ZCCM-IH has identified key focal sectors including agriculture/agri-business, energy, manufacturing and real estate, which would form the key pillars of its diversification drive Maamba Collieries 300MW Thermal Power Plant ZCCM-IH Shares 35% Best performer on the LuSE in 2014 (+163.5%) Tier 1 assets. Only entry point into big mining assets and projects Biggest dividend paid out on LuSE in 2014 ($40M) Dividend Policy: 20% of realized profits Energy Agriculture Manufacturing Other Minerals & Value Addition Real Estate ATTRIBUTES ZCCM-IH shares are listed on the Lusaka Securities Exchange, Paris Euronext Access & London Stock Exchanges. Strong and clean balance sheet. No debt. Kansanshi Mining Plc ZCCM-IH Shares 20% A premier diversified investment holding company, with core assets in Zambia's mining sector. Majority owned by the Zambian Government through the Industrial Development Corporation (60.28%), Ministry of Finance (17.25%), NAPSA (15%) and others (7.47%). www.zccm-ih.com.zm Connect with us: WHO WE ARE? Providing access to clean & safe drinking water in rural areas. COMESA• 2018 • 21