ALVIN CHIINGA, Kafue

IN the 1960s, Kafue was a blooming and bustling industrial town with a large nitrogen factory, a busy train station and a textiles industry. However, years that followed, all the industrial activities started crumbling, leaving the once vibrant town a shell of itself. The nitrogen factory and the textiles industry shut, leaving multitudes of people unemployed. Over the years, Kafue residents struggled to stand on their feet and many were on the verge of losing hope. About 10 years ago, the Patriotic Front (PF) government promised Kafue residents that the town’s lost glory would be revived through embarking on several developmental projects. Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ), which was once the largest employer in town, could be heading towards what it was in the 1960s as it is slowly getting industrialised again. Kafue District Commissioner Gibson Sinkala says the area has received the much-needed development from Government, just like any other district in the country. “I would like to make mention that every sector of the economy has been considered in the development agenda being implemented by Government,” he said. NCZ is one of the shining examples of a company that was on its knees in terms of viability, but the PF government has come to its aid. “Some people were saying this project is a non-starter with obsolete machinery, but look at what it is doing now. Some critics of Government were saying investing in NCZ is like investing in a bottomless pit. They were saying investors here would lose their investment,” he said. Mr Sinkala said when the PF came into power, they made it clear in their manifesto that they would CLICK TO READ MORE