Mulungushi Textiles Swamped with Orders Just Weeks After Reopening

The Zambia-China Mulungushi Textiles plant in Kabwe has been overwhelmed with orders since resuming production, forcing management to temporarily stop accepting new ones while it works through its existing backlog.

Central Province Permanent Secretary Dr. Milner Mwanakampwe confirmed that the company has already received orders from more than nine different clients, with both local and international businesses seeking its services. He said it would be counterproductive to keep taking on new work before fulfilling commitments already made.

The factory's general manager expressed confidence that the response signals something bigger. Orders have been arriving not just from within Zambia, but from neighbouring countries too, and in quantities that suggest the revival is the real thing.

The plant, backed by a USD 140 million investment, is expected to create more than 500 direct jobs and support over 2,500 cotton farmers. President Hichilema, who officially reopened the factory in April, said it would supply uniforms for the military, nurses and other public workers, reducing Zambia's reliance on imports.

For residents of Kabwe, the buzz around the factory is personal. Local leaders say the long closure hollowed out the community's economy, and that young, educated jobseekers have had few options. The reopening, they say, changes that.

Government says its ambitions stretch further still, with plans to transform the site into a multi-facility economic zone that could eventually include agro-processing.