On October 27, 1998, the conference was opened by the President of Guatemala. This historic conference which attracted 112 nations was a congress on the power of prayer to change social conditions. Guatemala is basically a Christian nation. In Guatemala there is a small village called Almolonga which is one hundred percent Christian. Almolonga has recorded one of the highest rates of economic growth in the world in recent years. It produces some of the world’s biggest carrots. The 1998 Guatemala Conference was one I shall long remember. Here I met people from all over the globe: from Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa as well as the United States and Canada. But it was here also that I conceived a burden for Zambia. The burden that is so dear to my heart. The burden for freedom, prosperity and democracy in Zambia! The burden of Zambia!

As we deliberated over various affairs at the Guatemala Conference, my mind raced and tears started rolling down my cheeks and I heard myself making a promise: “My Zambia, the Zambia of tomorrow must be better than the Zambia of today.” The more I thought about this, the more it dawned on me that it was possible to completely turn around the economic, political, social and mental status of Zambia. I started to foresee a new Zambia, a land of free, prosperous and hard working people. For this to happen, however, Zambians would have to realize that they hold the key – they have to believe that it is possible.

The Zambian mind-set should be liberated to reason, innovate, and act. The old Zambian mind-set has subscribed to the culture of failure. It has seen only underdevelopment, poverty and begging especially in the last three decades. It has placed its hope in the goodwill of the international community and donors. It has looked for solutions everywhere else but in Zambia or from the Zambian people. The Zambian economic and entrepreneurial machine has generally been dominated by outside investors and operators, leaving Zambians to wallow in abject poverty.

But Zambia has enough capable, educated and experienced men and women to reshape its political, economic and social landscape. The new Zambian leadership believes that it can and will translate Zambia’s underused land and people resource into better living for all. This emerging Zambian leadership has an exciting task, to make Zambia a better place. The future of Zambia depends on the rising of a new and fresh-looking leadership. This emerging Zambian leadership not only holds the key to the brighter Zambian future, but will also have to work relentlessly and hard to bring about more effective national development planning, work ethic and investment culture. This book is written in the hope that these leaders will pick up the pieces and weave a Zambia about which we can all be justly proud.