Andrew Sardanis

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Andrew Sardanis
Andrew Sardanis.png
Born
Andrew Sotiris Sardanis[1]

(1931-03-13)13 March 1931
Died28 February 2021(2021-02-28) (aged 89)
Lusaka CFB Hospital[2]
Occupation
Years active1950–2021
Notable credit(s)
  • Zambia: The First 50 Years (2014)
  • A venture in Africa (2007)
  • Africa (2003)
Spouse(s)Danae (m. 1962)
AwardsZAM Order of the Eagle of Zambia ribbon.svg Order of the Eagle

Andrew Sotiris Sardanis (Greek: Ανδρέας Σωτήρης Σαρδάνης, 13 March 1931 - 28 February 2021) was a Zambian Journalist and businessman. Andrew was a Zambian of Greek Cypriot origin.[3] He is best known for his involvement in Zambia’s independence liberation movement and played a major role in the formation of Zambia's first administration[2] and implementing economic policies of Zambia from 1965-70.[4][5] He served as permanent secretary in the Ministry of State Participation and chairman of Industrial Development Corporation.[6] He was a recipient of Zambia's highest civil decoration the order of the Eagle of Zambia which was awarded to him by president Edgar Lungu in 2019.[7][8]

Early life

Andrew was born in colonial Cyprus and came to ‘Northern Rhodesia’ (now Zambia) in October 1950, when he was 19 as part of a group of migrants displaced by the end of World War 2.[9] He spent most of his early life working for his brother in law in a transport company which operated between the Copperbelt and North-Western Province.[4] In his mid-twenties he owned and operated North-Western Trading and by 1957 he had started Mwaiseni stores. He was one of the few white settlers to have actively supported the black liberation movement[10] and he trained and advanced Zambians in his own business, treating them as partners and fellow shareholders and also provided a group of shops that allowed Zambians to transact normally. As a firm anti-colonialist he joined UNIP and in the 1962 elections, he stood as UNIP candidate for Kabompo.[11] He became a passionate freedom fighter and was strongly involved in the independence movement.[12]

Business

In 1984 he formed Meridien BIAO as the result of a 1991 merger between the Meridien group's banks started by Mr Andrew Sardanis, a Cypriot born Zambian, and a network of 11 banks he bought from the French liquidator of Banque Internationale pour L'Afrique Occidental (BIAO).[13] Registered in Luxembourg, although it never operated there, Meridien BIAO was 74% owned by Meridien International Bank Ltd (MIBL), which had a banking licence in the Bahamas. The African Development Bank held a 10% stake and the Banque Ouest Africaine de Developpement (BOAD) had a 16% holding. It was capitalised at about $100m.[14] The group reported a net profit of $3.26m in 1993, the last year for which audited figures are available, but after currency translations its reserves declined by $15.2m in that year. MIBL is owned by Meridien Corporation, which is in turn owned by ITM International, a Luxembourg-registered private company controlled by the Sardanis family trust.[15]

Death

Andrew died on 28 February 2021, at CFB Hospital in Lusaka.[2] He was 89.[3][14]

Publications

  • Zambia: The First 50 Years (2014)[16]
  • A venture in Africa (2007)
  • Africa: Another Side of the Coin: Northern Rhodesia's Final Years and Zambia's Nationhood (2003)[4]

See als0

1. Andrew Sardanis gave his life to Zambia, and Zambia its soul to him[17]

References

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  3. 3.0 3.1 Lua error in ...ribunto/includes/engines/LuaCommon/lualib/mwInit.lua at line 23: bad argument #1 to 'old_ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in ...ribunto/includes/engines/LuaCommon/lualib/mwInit.lua at line 23: bad argument #1 to 'old_ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
  5. Lua error in ...ribunto/includes/engines/LuaCommon/lualib/mwInit.lua at line 23: bad argument #1 to 'old_ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
  6. Lua error in ...ribunto/includes/engines/LuaCommon/lualib/mwInit.lua at line 23: bad argument #1 to 'old_ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
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  10. Lua error in ...ribunto/includes/engines/LuaCommon/lualib/mwInit.lua at line 23: bad argument #1 to 'old_ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
  11. Lua error in ...ribunto/includes/engines/LuaCommon/lualib/mwInit.lua at line 23: bad argument #1 to 'old_ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
  12. Lua error in ...ribunto/includes/engines/LuaCommon/lualib/mwInit.lua at line 23: bad argument #1 to 'old_ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
  13. Lua error in ...ribunto/includes/engines/LuaCommon/lualib/mwInit.lua at line 23: bad argument #1 to 'old_ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
  14. 14.0 14.1 Lua error in ...ribunto/includes/engines/LuaCommon/lualib/mwInit.lua at line 23: bad argument #1 to 'old_ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
  15. Lua error in ...ribunto/includes/engines/LuaCommon/lualib/mwInit.lua at line 23: bad argument #1 to 'old_ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
  16. Lua error in ...ribunto/includes/engines/LuaCommon/lualib/mwInit.lua at line 23: bad argument #1 to 'old_ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
  17. Lua error in ...ribunto/includes/engines/LuaCommon/lualib/mwInit.lua at line 23: bad argument #1 to 'old_ipairs' (table expected, got nil).