TWO weeks ago, I met a Bonaventure Mutale, on social media in the “Support Zambia Telecommunications Company (Zamtel) revolution campaign”.
The campaign is essentially aimed at rejuvenating customer interest, loyalty and is initialing targeted at arousing 2,000 Zamtel mobile phone subscribers to make it their prime mobile telephone services provider.
According to Mr Mutale, this campaign is essentially not only targeted at supporting Zamtel but is also a “Proudly Zambian campaign” that is meant to foster national identity and loyalty towards indigenous businesses.
Like him and many other patriotic Zambians, I had no choice but to join the campaign and foster enterprise development in our beloved country.
This is really a form of great patriotism especially that he is voluntarily doing it, even without the management of the company being aware!
Additionally, Like South Africa, it should be every Zambian’s desire to see our local companies, products and entrepreneurs taking a prominent role in national and global business platforms.
I have seen such patriotism in the Nigerian and South African business landscape.
Globalisation should encourage each and every Zambian to embrace our national identity in a global world.
In every bit of a purchase that one makes, we have a choice to foster our national economic growth.
Studies reveal that despite the trend towards globalisation and consumers’ affinity for international businesses, globalisation is partly responsible for an apparent increase in the significance of ethnic and national identities.
National identity is increasingly becoming a relevant contemporary form of personal, business and other community identification.
Additionally, a well developed and strong sense of national identity has the power to be a productive and enabling force within society.
To appreciate this concept and its inherent benefits, it is important that we consider how this concept has worked for our South African brothers and sisters.
This concept was launched in 2001 in South Africa, and the campaign is intended to boost job creation and pride in local products and services by promoting South African companies and indigenous products and services.
Buying South African stimulates an increased demand  for  locally-produced products and services and consequently safeguards employment opportunities, economic growth, and the creation of more quality employment opportunities.
By buying Proudly South African, both consumers and businesses are making  personal contribution to their nation-building.
Such an initiative assures South African consumers of quality products and services owing to the fact that quality assurance procedures, ethos and socially responsible business practices are a bedrock requirement in their membership admission criteria.
South Africans have ensured that at least 50 per cent of the cost of production should be incurred in South Africa and there must be substantial transformation of any imported materials.
Proudly South African clearly goes beyond a marketing campaign and stretches to be an internationally recognised competitive advantage driver; an impetus for economic growth, employment creation, social change and greater overall prosperity.
The Proudly South African campaign earnestly encourages South Africans to make personal and organisational contributions to economic growth and prosperity and consequently enforcing their national pride.
In February, this year, I had an opportunity of a life time to have an exclusive interview with Dangote Group of Companies President, Aliko Dangote.
He believes that “when a country imports goods, it imports poverty and exports jobs”
This goes several milestones to prove that business is not just done haphazardly.
Successful businesses have ideologies that they espouse and one of them is their national interests and identity.
We cannot do away with imports, but every time we are buying any good or service, we have reason to think in terms of whether an indigenous business is locally manufacturing them.
Similarly, every time we are doing a mobile top up, when we choose Zamtel, we are encouraging  the company to provide better products and services, safeguarding our own brothers’ and sisters’ jobs, and also contributing to national economic growth.
As we all know, this company is owned by the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) on behalf of each and every Zambian.
Imagine yourself creating a company that you choose not to support!
That’s exactly what you and I may have been doing.
We have a cause to support Bonaventure’s progressive interest of arousing our national identity and fostering the “Support Zamtel Revolution”
We certainly have a number of reasons why we should support this initiative.
We can see the huge Zamtel infrastructure  evenly distributed across the country. Zamtel could be the largest employer among the telecommunication companies in the country.
Zamtel has huge infrastructure for almost every telecommunication service.
For my internet service needs, their data bundles are my automatic choice. A two gigabyte data bundle is valid for two months while that of one  of  its competitors is only valid for a month!
We have the cost advantage and convenience.
Business strategists, economists and other practitioners have all echoed the reality that trends towards globalisation is increasingly calling for increased national identity in local businesses.
There are enormous benefits for mobile subscribers to support  the Zamtel revolution and the Proudly Zambian Campaign.

For comments e-mail: ntumbograndy@yahoo.com  Mobile +260977403113 +260955403113
The author is the Managing Consultant at GN Grant Business Consultant,
a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA),
a Master of Business Administration (MBA) holder and a candidate for
the Herriot Watt University (Scotland) Doctor of Business
Administration (DBA)