Bwalya was named 'African Footballer of the Year' in 1988, and was also nominated for the 1996 FIFA World Player of the Year title, where he was voted the 12^th-best player in the world. Bwalya will contribute to the magazine on a monthly basis, and his main focus will be on African football. Bwalya is currently the president of the Football Association of Zambia, a CAF executive committee member, deputy chairman of the FIFA 2014 World Cup Task Force, FIFA Technical Study Group member, as well as a sports presenter on Supersport.

“For me it is an honour and a privilege to contribute to a publication that celebrates success. I am looking forward to sharing some of my thoughts and insights on the African game with my fellow Africans,” Bwalya said of his inclusion in Forbes Africa.

Chris Bishop, managing editor of Forbes Africa, says that he’s thrilled to have Bwalya on board as columnist. “I think Bwalya is one of the precious voices of the game in Africa that should be celebrated and heard. I think he has been an inspiration to a generation of footballers,” he says.

Most people will remember that Bwalya was captain of the Zambian national football team during the qualification matches for the 1994 World Cup. Because he was based in Europe, he missed the ill-fated 27 April 1993 flight that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Gabon, killing the entire team and management.

In his début column in the May edition of Forbes Africa (currently on sale), Bwalya gives the inside story of how the present Zambian team went to the waters off Gabon to pay tribute days before they lifted the Africa Cup of Nations.