Andrew Sotiris Sardanis (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: Ανδρέας Σωτήρης Σαρδάνης; 13 March 1931 – 28 February 2021) was a

Cypriot Cypriot (in older sources often "Cypriote") refers to someone or something of, from, or related to the country of Cyprus. * Cypriot people, or of Cypriot descent; this includes: **Armenian Cypriots **Greek Cypriots **Maronite Cypriots **Turkish C ...

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...

n journalist and businessman best known for his involvement in Zambia's independence liberation movement and major role in the formation of Zambia's first administration and implementing economic policies of Zambia from 1965 to 1970. He served as permanent secretary in the Ministry of State Participation and chairman of Industrial Development Corporation. He was a recipient of Zambia's highest

civil decoration Civil awards and decorations are awarded to civilians for distinguished service or for eminence in a field of endeavour. Military personnel might also be eligible for services of a non-military nature. There are various forms of civil awards and d ...

the order of the Eagle of Zambia which was awarded to him by president

Edgar Lungu Edgar Chagwa Lungu (born 11 November 1956) is a Zambian politician who served as the sixth president of Zambia from 25 January 2015 to 24 August 2021. Under President Michael Sata, Lungu served as Minister of Justice and Minister of Defence. ...

in 2019.

Early life

Andrew was born in colonial

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

and migrated to Northern Rhodesia (now

) in October 1950, when he was 19, as part of a group of migrants displaced by the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He spent most of his early life working for his brother in law in a transport company which operated between the

Copperbelt The Copperbelt () is a natural region in Central Africa which sits on the border region between northern Zambia and the southern Democratic Republic of Congo. It is known for copper mining. Traditionally, the term ''Copperbelt'' includes the ...

and North-Western Province. 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 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 Kabompo is a town in north-western Zambia, lying on the Kabompo River with a population over 88,000 people. It is surrounded by teak forest and is home to a Roman Catholic mission. Its most significant activity is the production of honey. You als ...

. He became a passionate

freedom fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

and was strongly involved in the independence movement.

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). 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. 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.

Death

Andrew died on 28 February 2021, at CFB Hospital in Lusaka. He was 89.

Publications

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sardanis, Andrew 1931 births 2021 deaths White Zambian people Greek Cypriot people Zambian people of Greek Cypriot descent Zambian journalists Zambian businesspeople