As I sat down and reflected on the prospects of the company Roman and I had created, it soon dawned on me the weight of responsibility that stood on our shoulders as founders of Financial Insight. We are an SME and like many, we have been dreading year 2 of our existence. What is worse, […]
We at Financial Insight are cognisant of the fact that many SMEs in Zambia will never reach critical mass. It is not because we do not believe in these companies. Far from it. We spend each and every waking financial moment pushing agendas such as strategy, turnaround and improved performance just to get the topic […]
For some time now, we have followed publications in numerous online and print media about efforts that are being made by Zambian companies to enhance their businesses. Many have cited harsh macro-economic conditions that have lead some into an almost death spiral. On the list of those companies that we have keenly been interested in […]
It’s the year 2008, several major banks have fallen and Richard Fuld looks on as his mighty reign comes to a crushing end. The mighty Lehman brothers, the sixth largest investment bank has fallen. Ben Bernanke, an astute ivy league trained Economist together with Timothy Geithner, New York Fed president and secretary to the Treasury […]
James Rouse (a US real estate developer) once said that ‘Profit is not the legitimate purpose of business. The legitimate purpose of business is to provide a product or service that people need and do it so well that it is profitable!’ Very candid words indeed. However, the reality that 2018 offers many businesses in […]
It has been an interesting start to the year 2018 for the custodians of all parastatals. IDC closed 2017 with a $15m purchase of ZAMPALM. While the ink was still drying following this acquisition, we learned through zambia24.com that their CEO Mateyo Kaluba (MK) had announced to a Parliamentary Committee on Parastatal Bodies chaired by Msanzala Member […]
Financial Insight Zambia is saddened by the loss of life and prevailing outbreak of Cholera in our cities. Lusaka by statistics has been hardest hit by the epidemic and questions have arisen from many quarters as to what the solutions could be. Data coming in shows that the pandemic has affected more that 2000 of […]
When the announcements came from Roland Imperial Tobacco (RIT) and British America Tobacco (BAT) of their USD80 million and USD15 million (respectively) investments in setting up their local cigarette manufacturing plants in Lusaka South Multi-Facility Zone, we could not help but wonder about some of the competitive forces in Zambia’s tobacco industry. Recap. In 2016 […]
When UK’s development finance house, CDC Group, made the acquisition of 17.5% of Zambeef last year for $65m not only was it a positive statement about the reason why Zambia had become an idea investment destination but was a testament to the value creation potential they saw in the farm to shop company. With operations […]
As premier companies begin to wrap up 2017, FiZ turns its attention to the subject many firms often do not want to discuss. When EBITDA is positive and liquidity is great, few companies ever imagine what life can be like if they faced financial distress. Furthermore, financial distress is an often painful subject for employees […]
Strategy
