We complain about our country every day. We argue on social media, we whine at work, and every five years we vote. But beyond complaining and voting, what are we actually doing to change our economic reality?

We expect a president who is limited to two terms to fix problems that have been building for over 60 years. We demand jobs, value addition, and industrialisation. We say, “Why don’t we mine our own resources, process them here, and export finished products?”

Yet when it comes time to work together, invest together, and trust one another, we pull back.

Zambia is one of the world’s top copper producers. We also sit on gold, emeralds, silver, manganese, and other strategic minerals. And yet the biggest beneficiaries of these resources are foreign corporations—Barrick, KCM, First Quantum Minerals, and others—whose profits are largely repatriated to Canada, China, the UK, and elsewhere.

What still baffles me is this:

Why have Zambians not deliberately formed a large, professionally run, transparent company to take meaningful ownership of our own mineral wealth?

Other countries have done this. Individuals like Dangote showed Africa that scale, ownership, and discipline can beat systems designed to keep us dependent. Meanwhile, many of our so-called leaders steal public wealth, educate their children abroad using bribe money, and reinvest nothing at home. The result?

We export raw wealth, import finished goods, and recycle poverty.

A practical idea: Zambians as owners, not spectators

Imagine a Zambian-owned mining company, professionally managed, audited, transparent, and open to ordinary citizens as shareholders—not politicians, not briefcase businessmen, but the people.

Now let’s talk numbers.

If 2 million Zambians invested K24,000 each (that’s K2,000 per month for one year):

2,000,000 × K24,000 = K48,000,000,000

That’s K48 billion.

At an exchange rate of roughly K27 to $1, that is about:

$1.7–$1.8 billion USD

Is that enough to run a mine?

Yes—depending on the mineral and scale.

• A small to mid-scale gold or emerald mine can be developed for $50–300 million

• A mid-scale copper operation can start production in the $300 million–$1 billion range

• Even after setup, capital remains for processing plants, skilled labor, environmental compliance, and expansion

This means collective citizen investment alone could realistically finance at least one serious mining operation, with Zambians as shareholders earning dividends—not watching profits fly out of the country.

The real question

The problem is not lack of money.

The problem is lack of trust, organisation, and vision.

If we can mobilise millions to complain, surely we can mobilise millions to invest. If we truly believe Zambia is rich, then it’s time to act like owners, not victims.

Real change will not come from one president.

It will come when citizens decide to own their economy, protect it with transparency, and grow it with discipline.

The minerals are under our feet.

The capital is in our hands.

The future is waiting for courage.