Senior Chief Luembe of Nyimba District said […]

Senior Chief Luembe of Nyimba District said chiefs must prioritize community value, safety, and land security before issuing recommendation letters to real estate developers seeking land outside the city center.

 In an exclusive interview with Zambian Business Times, Chief Luembe outlined a five-stage vetting process he personally uses before giving any developer a go-ahead.

“He said the second step is assessing the value of the project to the chiefdom. The third stage involves land availability and impact. “Do we have the space where this project would be conducted? What inconveniences is it going to bring to the communities or surrounding communities?” Chief Luembe stated “Are people going to be displaced? Are there going to be any chemical influences, and what effect are those chemicals going to have on the environment?” Chief Luembe stressed that safety measures must come before corporate social responsibility talks.

 “Before you even start looking at the corporate social responsibility issue, there must be those safety measures that a chief should look at,” he said.

 Only after safety, displacement, and environmental checks are cleared does he move to CSR negotiations. “After meeting all those other necessary requirements, then that’s when you would now start asking what are the social responsibilities that this company will provide to the community,” he said.

He listed schools, clinics, road access, and upgrading social amenities as key CSR considerations. “You need to know what terms they are getting this piece of land. Do they want a title? If so, why? Is it necessary to give a title?” he added. “If not, what other ways can we use so that maybe the community does not lose its land?” he said.

 Employment for locals is the final non-negotiable, according to the chief. “If it’s an organization that seeks to provide employment, we should agree that a certain percentage of the workforce, skilled or unskilled depending on what they are doing, must come from the communities,” he said.

“These days we have got many skilled young men and women who are in villages but don’t have employment because they can’t find employment anywhere. So when you have such an opportunity, you better put your people first,” Chief Luembe said. “So those are the most important things that, personally, I would look at before saying or giving a go-ahead,” he concluded.

Article by Francine Chibuye