By VIOLET MENGO
THE First time he set his feet in the city from the village was when he was accepted at the Copperbelt University (CBU) but Liver Tembo cares less about his background because today he is a proud owner of two companies.
No-one ever thought that Tembo could have a workforce of 27 with branches in Botswana, South Africa and Zambia from his two companies namely the Zambian Business and Construction News and L.T and Associates, where he is the founder and managing director.
It never crossed to Tembo's mind when he was leaving Eastern Province that one day he would be a voice for the voiceless in the construction industry. However, when he trekked from the countryside into the city, that is CBU, he was scared of being robbed following a warning from his mother to be careful of city tricksters.
"My first time to be in the City was when I was accepted at CBU. However, when I visited the city for the first time I pretended that I knew the place for fear of the tricksters I was warned of by my mother while in the village," he says.
Tembo possesses a Bachelor of Science in building, has a certificate in engineering economics for project managers and certificate in project management. He is a member of the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors.
"I am also a member of Botswana Institute of Quantity Surveyors and at the same time a member of South African Institute of Arbitrators and currently pursuing Masters in International Construction Management," he says.
Tembo, who was born on July 31, 1961, describes himself as a hard worker and a fighter who is set to transform the construction industry in Zambia. He says he hails from Eastern Province where he did his primary and secondary school at Chizongwe Secondary School and completed in 1977.
He later proceeded to CBU where he was among the first group to graduate in the School of Environmental Science with a bachelor of science in building in 1985. In his 3rd year at the university, Tembo obtained a scholarship from Apollo Enterprises Construction Company for his remaining two years of study.
He was the first student to acquire a private scholarship in his group when all others were depending on Government bursary scholarship. Upon completing his studies in 1985, he joined Apollo Enterprises as an assistant quality surveyor where he worked for a year later joined a company in Kitwe.
"I also worked for Lendor Burton Construction where I was a contracts administer from 1987-1989.At the time my main duties were to manage the project for the rehabilitation of the Kafue Gorge power project," he says.
In 1989, he rejoined Apollo Enterprises as a principle quantity surveyor responsible for Southern Region based in Lusaka. His duties included management of all projects in southern part of Zambia. After gaining more experience, Tembo left for Bostwana where he worked for Kerbot Construction for a year before he started his first company- Liver Tembo and Associates.
"I started without any capital, instead I was doing freelance consultancy services. After realising that there was so much work in Botswana most local contractors could not have a fair share of business because of lack of experience," he says.
Since the formation of the company, L.T and Associates has developed niche market in contract auditing, direct project management, building surveying, quality surveying with major clients being Botswana government, Kingdom Finance and FNB Botswana.
Tembo has also keen interest in property development having acquired some properties in Botswana where is he currently developing a 36- unit block of flats.
He says as an achiever, he does not believe in failure hence, decided to relocate his business to Zambia to be a voice for the voiceless of the small-scale constructors. He says the problems in the Zambian construction sector which then favoured foreigner constructors at the expense of the local, were an opportunity for his company to penetrate the local market.
"I believe that where there is a problem, there is a business opportunity. It is sad that as Zambians we like to complain and talk but I have chosen to act each time I am faced with a challenge," he says.
He says instead of complaining along with other constructors and key players in the sector, his company is focusing on offering solutions. He says currently the sector is being hampered by financial muscle which most local constructors fail to raise in bid, performance and advance payment bonds each time they are awarded a major contract.
"This has made most companies fail to participate effectively in the sector because they cannot afford to raise the initial finances required," he says.
To this effect, Tembo is planning to set up a first Public Private Partnership (PPP) consortium in Zambia whose aim is to spear head property development through PPP scheme.
"In the next three years, I will set up the consortium company which will help drive the sector by allowing more participation from the locals who have been marginalised for a long time," he says.
He says Zambia offers opportunities in construction projects through PPP but Zambians are not taking advantage of good government policies hence, all the PPP projects are currently being handled by foreign firms.
"It's time to educate enterprising Zambians to take full advantage of the economic growth instead of spending time blaming the Government," he says. One wonders if Tembo took advantage of the economic boom,,."Yes I did. As you know I'm not only in construction but in media as well following my establishment of the second company in 2010."
He says the idea of starting a newspaper started in 2004 while he was in Botswana where he first got interested in the media business. He set up his first newspaper called Construction and Property Review in 2004 which was a fortnightly newspaper focusing on construction and property news.
The paper did not last long. It only managed to run six issues and nose dived. The main season for stopping was be that we could not get sufficient advertising to support our publication as the readership was small," he reflects. This setback did not shut his dream of owning a newspaper.
Tembo decided to open an office in Zambia in 2009 after realising that the local economy was doing well and the construction sector was growing at a fast rate.
"By mid June 2010 I realised that Zambia was the best place for me to realise my long time dream of investing also in the media industry hence, on 1st November 2010, I launched the Zambian Construction News which was later changed to Zambian Business and Construction News which is a weekly publication," he says.
He says the newspaper currently has a monthly turnover of K300 million with a countrywide circulation. Talking about his family, Tembo says he is the first- born child in a family of six his father being Joseph and mother Tissah Tembo.
He got married to Miriam, with whom he has four children namely Tissah, Chikumbutso, Tokozile and Towera. Tembo commended his family for being supportive in his business ventures adding the family is key in ensuring that the business stands the test of time, especially in this era where other people care less about one's vision and dreams.
ENDS
No comments:
Post a Comment