City on the move: Kafue, Zambia
The town of Kafue is located about 50km south of Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia. It sits on the banks of the Kafue River, on the border of the country’s Southern Province.
According to Paul Nyambe, CEO and founder of Zamgoat, the area produces an abundance of crops and Kafue’s location makes it ideal for any entrepreneur looking to set up an agro-processing facility. Zamgoat is one of Zambia’s first commercial-scale processors and distributors of goat meat and products.
“Most towns in Zambia offer wonderful business opportunities,” explains Nyambe. “I want to highlight Kafue in particular. It is close to the main source of agricultural production in Zambia and to the highest point of local demand, Lusaka.”
The town has some established industries such as a plant for agricultural fertilisers (Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia) and a yeast manufacturer (Lee Yeast Zambia).
Nyambe highlights one crop in particular for value addition. “In the value chain for the common bean, specifically, there is potential,” he says. “We import the value-added beans from South Africa. With the area’s abundant supply, someone should take advantage of this.”
Opportunities beyond agriculture include tourism as the town is situated near Zambia’s oldest national park.
“Almost all the key sectors of the economy in Zambia are underdeveloped; whether that be ICT, mining or tourism. However, as I operate in the agriculture sector, I believe the more this area can be developed, the better for all of us,” says Nyambe.