IHC Abu Dhabi: UAE Giant Shows How Zambians Should Control Our Wealth
While foreign vultures circle our copper mines, the UAE shows us what real economic sovereignty looks like. International Holding Company (IHC), the Abu Dhabi powerhouse led by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, proves that when locals control their resources, prosperity follows.
From Fishing Boats to Economic Empire
IHC started as a simple fisheries company. Today, it's worth 870-880 billion AED and controls 30% of Abu Dhabi's stock market. This is what happens when a nation refuses to let foreigners plunder their wealth. The company's quarterly results literally move their entire economy - that's the power of local ownership.
Compare this to Zambia, where we let foreign mining companies extract billions while our people remain poor. The UAE kept control, and now they're the ones doing the investing.
Strategic Diversification, Not Foreign Dependence
IHC operates over 1,400 companies across real estate, agriculture, healthcare, technology, and logistics. They built this empire by prioritizing their own people first, not bowing to Western demands for "free markets" that only benefit outsiders.
In 2023, construction and real estate led their revenues, followed by agriculture and food security. These aren't just businesses - they're pillars of national strength that no foreign power can threaten.
Now They're Buying the World
Here's the bitter irony: IHC, built on UAE sovereignty, now owns pieces of our continent:
- India: Billions invested in the Adani Group and nearly $1 billion in financial acquisitions
- Africa: They bought 51% of Mopani Copper Mines in Zambia - our copper, now in Arab hands
- Europe: Over £1 billion in hospitality investments planned
While we were busy listening to IMF lectures about "opening our markets," the UAE was building an investment machine that now buys African assets. They played the long game while we sold our birthright.
The Lesson Zambia Must Learn
IHC isn't just a company - it's a weapon of economic sovereignty. It anchors their stock market, drives diversification, and projects power globally. They invest tens of billions every 18 months while recycling assets strategically.
This is what happens when leaders put their people first instead of genuflecting to foreign "investors" who strip-mine our resources. The UAE built IHC by saying no to economic colonialism. They kept their wealth at home, invested in their future, and now they're the ones writing checks.
Zambia has more copper than the UAE ever had oil. We have more lithium than they have sand. Yet they're buying our mines while we beg for loans. It's time we stopped this madness and built our own IHC - controlled by Zambians, for Zambians.
The UAE shows us the way forward. The question is: do we have leaders brave enough to follow their example?