Educated Zambians are responsible for plunder – Fundanga

Educated Zambians are responsible for plunder – Fundanga
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Mon 15 Feb. 2010, 04:01 CAT

EDUCATED Zambians have often let this country down because they are responsible for plunder, Bank of Zambia (BoZ) governor Dr Caleb Fundanga has said. And Dr Fundanga has said Zambia will only make a serious dent on high poverty levels if the economy grows by an average eight per cent.

Addressing the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI) Masters of Business Administration (MBA) Alumni at Pamodzi Hotel last Friday, Dr Fundanga said educated people had often abused their privileged positions to pilfer public resources instead of rendering services. Dr Fundanga said the role of educated people was to contribute to the organisations they work for and not to steal.

“We don’t want a situation where because you have the MBA, you are given a job, then, you start stealing from the very organisation,” Dr Fundanga said.

“Your role is to advance the society, not take away from the organisations. I am saying this because quite often, it is educated Zambians who have let this country down. The peasants and lowly paid workers have got no chance of stealing because they are not in positions where they can steal. It is people who are privileged with senior positions in organisations who are responsible for pilfering. This must stop, and I believe you will be at the centre. We have been told that ESAMI is the only organisation of its kind offering training to all Africans or at least the majority of them from our region. So, you should be at the centre to ensure that those plunderers are kicked out of our system so that the little that we have can go a long way towards the addressing of the problems of our poor brothers and sisters.”

Dr Fundanga said Zambia needed professionals with high levels of social and moral awareness so that they were aware of the moral obligations and potential impact of their thinking, decisions as well as actions on the well-being of the country.

“We need to be good role models for others in behaviour, attitude as well relations,” he said. “Let us endeavour to act in a way that is professional and retains the confidence of others at all times.”

Dr Fundanga advised the ESAMI MBA Alumni members to ensure that all its members demonstrated high ethical standards and values in their businesses as well as places of work at all times.

“I urge all of you to take ethics seriously in order to enhance efficient and effective delivery of services,” said Dr Fundanga. “A robust and strong levels of ethics can be achieved by providing ethics training and sensitisation as part of continuous profession development…as you organise various activities, we believe that issues of ethics will feature greatly.”

And Dr Fundanga said Zambia can only reduce the current high poverty levels through growing the economy higher than the current growth rates. He said the economy could only be grown through innovations and competitiveness on the world market.

Earlier, ESAMI MBA director general Professor Bonnard Mwape said the Alumni associations played a vital role in promoting and encouraging opportunities for professional developments.

Prof Mwape said ESAMI would continue to encourage people to enrol for MBA programmes as scholarships and loan funds were available for those who needed to further their education.