REFINED TASTES
TBY talks to Olufemi Babajide, Managing Director of Total Zambia, on the country's growth potential, opportunities in aviation, and Zambia's economic potential.
BIOGRAPHY
Olufemi Babajide has been Managing Director & Total Group Representative in Zambia since 2016. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lublend Limited Zambia and a member of the Board of Trustees for Saturnia Regna Pension Trust Limited, Zambia. Babajide is a multi-disciplinary professional with almost two decades of varied experience in African markets, especially the downstream oil and gas sector, and has extensive knowledge of distribution network management, lubricants, and aviation. He has worked for Total in the UK, Nigeria, and France.In addition to retail, which other sectors represent key areas of growth for Total's business in Zambia?
After retail, the two key sectors are agriculture and transport. Developments in agriculture tie in with the government's targeted strategic approach in the next five years to diversify the economy. What is more, because of Zambia's geographical location at the heart of SADC and COMESA, transport needs to be boosted in order to successfully link the country up with its neighbors. The government plans for Zambia to become a hub for the sub-region, with all products, goods, and services in transit to neighboring countries passing through here. In line with this, Total has plans to harness the opportunities in this sector with tailor-made offers such as our Integrated Services Approach, which removes the burden of fuel management off the client, thus the client can focus on their core business and is guaranteed high safety level onsite, high quality of products, availability of products through reliable supply chain, and value-added services that bring improved cost management and savings. We have also introduced the TOTAL Card, a rechargeable, electronic card for purchase of fuel and goods in TOTAL stations, perfect for fleet management as it reduces incidents of fraud associated with fuelling and improves personnel safety by removing risks associated with carrying cash.
Do you see the aviation sector picking up in 2018?
With the government's determination to boost tourism in Zambia by implementing the Tourism Development Fund, which will support tourism products development, tourism infrastructure, and tourism marketing, this should reverse the trend in the last several years that led to major international carriers like British Airways and KLM abandoning this route. Also, with the planned reforms in the petroleum downstream sector, I expect a collaborative review of the supply and distribution scheme of aviation fuel with the stakeholders to address any weak points and offer solutions to strengthen supply of aviation fuel to all airports within the country at competitive prices. Lastly, the Ministry of Transport continues to discuss developments at KKIA International Airport, and there are plans underway for infrastructural projects in Ndola and in Kafue. In 2018, these benefits should trickle down into the system and we should see the aviation market doubling.
What makes Zambia an important region for Total's overall operations?
Zambia is an integral part of Total's history in Africa. We have had a presence here for 67 years now and we operated Indeni refinery, which was the only refinery in Zambia between 2002 and 2009, a government-owned holding in which we had a 50% share. From a business point of view, we also see Zambia as one of the countries in Africa that will experience exponential growth. Under its present administration, Zambia can realize its economic potential in the coming years. As a fast-growing company mobilized around a deep transformation journey, we have been preparing for this: we recently commissioned a world-class invariants compliant fuel depot in Lusaka, investing USD7 million in total in the project. Furthermore, our conviction that real growth will come from rural areas has led us to spend over USD30 million in the last three years purchasing and reconstructing sites in these outlying areas that lack fueling stations. As of today, we have about 52 active sites across the whole country. However, we are not stopping there, and in 2017 we have plans to invest USD12 million on constructing and buying new stations in rural and urban areas. We continue to develop expertise and build up capacities of the communities where we operate, with initiatives such as the Total Young Dealer Scheme, the Total Young Graduate Program, and the Total Start Upper Challenge for Young Entrepreneurs. We are also an active member of the Business-Linkages program, organized by PEP-Zambia and aimed at reinforcing links between SMEs and larger companies.
REFINED TASTES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Year In Review
What A Year
Zambia has long been a bastion of stability in Southern Africa, and while its economy has been rocked in recent years by the falling value of copper prices, a devaluating kwacha, and high inflation, through the Economic Recovery Program the government has bold ambitions to right the ship.
read articleReview
Convoke, Confound & Collect
Squeezed between a rock and a rather hard place by the slowdown in Chinese demand for copper, by far Zambia's biggest export and government-revenue generator, President Lungu has been forced to get creative in his country's alliances to broaden revenue streams and lessen its dependence on the vagaries of one foreign market.
read articleGuest Speaker
Dr. Stergomena L. Tax, Executive Secretary, Southern African Development Community (SADC)
TBY talks to Dr. Stergomena L. Tax, Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), on regional economic development, boosting pan-continental free trade agreements, and improving security through mutual development.
read articleInterview
Susan Sikaneta, Ambassador, Zambia to Ethiopia & Permanent Representative to the African Union and Economic Commission for Africa
TBY talks to Susan Sikaneta, Ambassador of Zambia to Ethiopia & Permanent Representative to the African Union and Economic Commission for Africa, on championing peace across the continent, advancing women's rights, and promoting Pan-Africanism.
read articleInterview
Sebastian C. Kopulande, CEO, Zambian International Trade & Investment Centre (ZITIC)
TBY talks to Sebastian C. Kopulande, CEO of Zambian International Trade & Investment Centre (ZITIC), on taming austerity, stimulating sustainable growth, and creating the framework to support entrepreneurship
read articleFocus: Zambia Plus
Adding it All Up
On October 20, 2016, at the 2017 Budget Address, Finance Minister Felix Mutati launched the government's economic recovery program, christened "Zambia Plus." The program is designed to spur domestic productivity, through strengthening ties and collaborating with external donors and developers.
read articleReview: Banking
Macroeconomics Rule the Roost
In its ongoing efforts to diversify away from one principal commodity, copper, the government fosters the development, standardization, and efficacy of the private sector. In doing so the systematic support of the financial universe, especially banks, is vital, as is the goal of financial inclusion.
read articleFocus: SME Growth
IMF support program
An IMF support program stands to provide Zambia with some much-needed discipline on its expenditure and operational efficiencies; however, many caution the need for Zambia to determine what it wants to achieve and how the program will benefit the country.
read articleInterview
Christabel M. Banda, Executive Director, Insurers Association of Zambia (IAZ)
TBY talks to Christabel M. Banda, Executive Director of Insurers Association of Zambia (IAZ), on the evolution of the local insurance landscape, raising awareness, and tackling challenges in the sector.
read articleFocus: Solar
Sunny Side Up
As power demand continues to rise and power production continues to fall behind, it's the same old story for Zambia, still wrestling with an ongoing energy crisis. Public- and private-sector drives are seeking to mitigate this deficit by activating the country's solar industry.
read articleInterview
Margaret K. Chalwe-Mudenda, Director General, Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA)
TBY talks to Margaret K. Chalwe-Mudenda, Director General of Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA), on new projects, the ZNDC, and expectations for the year ahead.
read articleInterview
Hon. Dora Siliya, Minister, Agriculture
TBY talks to Hon. Dora Siliya, Minister of Agriculture, on the investments being made in agriculture to enable agricultural households, diversifying Zambia's basket of produce, and making international markets more accessible for local producers.
read articleInterview
Hon. Charles R. Banda, Minister, Tourism and Arts
TBY talks to Hon. Charles R. Banda, Minister of Tourism and Arts, on the wealth of tourism destinations within Zambia, efforts to bring more visitors to the country, and what the Tourism Development Fund will contribute to developments.
read article