President Rupiah Banda says there is need to respond to the global economic crisis in a manner that does not just mitigate its effects but positions the country to move forward and sustain its economic gains.
Mr. Banda said in light of the global crunch, there was need to take measures that would strengthen the competitiveness, infrastructure, food security and the resolve of the country to prosper.
He said the effects of the crisis were real as manifested by the closure of some operations and job losses in the mining sector.
Mr. Banda said the country’s response to the global financial crisis had to ensure that there was an adequate safety net to protect the vulnerable in society in a bid to moderate their suffering due to job losses.
The President said a reduction in government’s revenue collection was a wake up call not only to implement resolutions made in many fora such as previous indabas and the north–south corridor meetings, but to diversify the economy away from dependence on copper.
Mr. Banda was speaking in Livingstone today at the opening of the sixth Zambia International Business Advisory Council (ZIBAC )conference held at Zambezi Sun Hotel under the theme, “Global Economic Crisis: Zambia’s Response to growth and competitiveness.”
He said there was urgent need to maintain food security by prioritizing measures to support the continued growth of the agricultural industry.
Mr. Banda also called for the creation of a conducive business and investment climate by way of producing quality goods and services if the country was to compete favorably in the global economy.
He also stressed the need to implement and effectively monitor reforms under the private sector development program.
To that effect Mr. Banda said government had put in place a framework for monitoring the implementation of all agreed policies, programs and projects on a monthly basis to ensure bottlenecks in the implementation process were easily identified.
He assured the private sector and co-operating partners that government would continue attaching strong political will and commitment to private sector development.
Mr. Banda said government would continue to appreciate all the support from its cooperating partners in order to implement phase two of the private sector development program.
And speaking on behalf of Zambia’s cooperating partners at the same function, Dutch Ambassador to Zambia, Harry Molenaar said their primary purpose was to reduce poverty.
Mr. Molenaar said Zambia had scarce resources and needed to double its efforts to attract foreign investment.
He urged government to promote local investment by enhancing operations of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
Mr. Molenaar said the country’s cooperating partners would strive to promote business competitiveness and a vibrant private sector through continued support of private sector development programs.
And moving a vote of thanks, Zambia Business Forum Chief Executive Officer Reginald Mfula said concerted efforts from all economic players in the country were needed to minimize the impact of the global crunch.
Mr. Mfula said implementation of solutions already identified and those yet to be agreed upon between government and the private sector would result in poverty reduction, job creation, more domestic and foreign investment and food security among others.
He said implementation of programs in a timely manner was a key factor in attaining sustainable economic development.
Mr. Mfula said there was need by the civil service as implementers of government policies to move beyond appreciating policy change by understanding the importance and urgency of the challenges the country is currently facing.
ZANIS
Too many words and too little action. Words without works cannot sustain the pressure Zambia is facing.
Thought even without the crunch my country had nothing to shout about. I doubt things will change lilya chashupa!
Only if you use your brains correctly Mr. President.
Mr. President, Household Economic Empowerment is the foundation of the National Economic Development. Ensure the functionality of the Economic Empowerment to the your Citizens through making the CEEC program more user friendly to ordinaly citizens and you will go in the books of History as having positively contributed to Economic Empowerment of Zambians. If you dont, be assured that ba Shikulu Ba Sata will do it and steal the glory from you. Kabili tifuna MORE MONEY IN OUR POCKETS. Sure TUYO ZABUKA MUBWATO AYISHA. Ni PABWATO.
Misplacing priorities is one of your failures Mr RB. In these ‘global crunch days’ you think of Zim when your own are poverty striken..
My foot!!!
Economic experts from the German chamber of commerce (IHK) can already see indications of relief on their economy. Can any Zambian economist predict when our economy will begin to pick up?
The other question is: does our president have enough vision to catalyse the economic recovery of our country? I wonder…
RB has no priorities, no wonder he is running the country as Zambia General Dealers in partnership with the chinese, mailo it was mobile hospitals, lelo its hearses and 2moro jst waitin 2 here what they bought.
RB Fix your corrupt govt which is full of greediness. Don’t be talking global when home is being is in shambles.
Nine Chale your face looks very peacefull.As peacefull as the comments you have been posting on LT.
funny thing is some one either from the world bank or the imf said the exact same thing a few days if not weeks ago. so wat we have now is a parrot in power then isnt it. come on use that head of yours and show us some originality not these rubbish ventures such as the purchase of hearses and mobile clinics just because you where obviously offered incentives for the contracts.
Test
Ba Banda….epo mupelele apa?……………….ni pabwato…!
Prepare for hard times ahead.
On “President Rupiah Banda says there is need to respond to the global economic crisis in a manner that does not just mitigate its effects but positions the country to move forward and sustain its economic gains“, it appears that this is a response to the World bank or so country Director or whatever he is called who issued such a statement last week on the Copperbelt if I am not mistaken. What a GRZ of reactions to whatever others reported to have said in the media.
Continue with the diversification programme to reduce on depending on Copper to hopefully 6% from almost 80%. We need to have Software Development companies and others to drive our economy to greater heights Mr President RB Banda.
___
When we work, we work; when we play, we play.
This is a good speech. This is what leadership is about. One cannot expect the President to go around making private companies to employ people. He can only inspire and assign the task to others to carry out. Should THEY fail he should have the courage to boot them out, even if they are boot-lickers and loyal.
This song about diversifying the economy away from dependence on copper was there during Kaunda, Chiluba and LPM’ s errors and now RB is singing the same song. What we need now is the implementation. Cant we for once learn from our neighbours like Botswana on how they have succeeded on the exportation of beef.
After so many months into the recession,RB cannot even tell a single strategy as to how Zambia is positioning itself in mitigating the effects of the recession.ZRA told us they had exceeded the target of the 1st quarter:what drop in revenue collection is he talking about?TO ALL THE MMD SUPPORTERS,THANKS FOR GIVING US GARBAGE!PLEASE START COMPAIGNING FOR HIM FOR THE 2011 ELECTIONS :JUST CONVINCE US.TELL US HIS PLAN.SHAME ON YOU!!!!
#8 Chewe the Virgin, thanks. I’m quite humbled by your statement. I can only attribute the glory to The Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus who reigns within me.
May He also cause his face to shine upon you Chewe & all other bloggers on LT. He loves us all.
I like Indeni its really a stratagic industry. It has given us fuel for years and its now in a stable condition after those problems it went thru. it has given birth to so many Oil companies in zambia. Indeni is now holding the copperbelt and has tried to incoperate some of the former mine workers. Hope Petroleum commitee will positively support Indeni.
hey ,yap..yap..yap,we need solutions,how are you adressing the crunch,just yestday the swedish aid withdrew there funding to health..wat is your finance minster doing!…..i miss magande…..he wod have advised you rightly rather than your bootlicker musokotwane…SHAME ON YOU!
We need action not mere words. Could someone explain to me what the meeting is all about. There was no alternative to host the seminer say Mongu or Mansa so that pipo could have made some cash out of the delegates. The man did not even explain the relevance of those chinese hammers. What value are they going to add to our health delivery system?
Please SHREK, try to redeem yourself. You dont seem to have a plan. Mobile hospitals & now hearses from China. Who told you that we need the hearses. We have always managed to hire private ones when we have a funeral on our own. So how are these hearses to be distributed, let alone be used wherever they will be sent. Do you even have a clue as regards governance or still think you are at a certain farm in Chipata? What an embarrassement & disgrace you are to the easterners in particular & zambians in general!!
Lets learn to have respect for leaders
Shrek, you cant sense that you are just about to sleep??. How are you going to mitigate the crisis?? you mean in your dreams???.
People cant trust anyone of you in GRZ. Soon your time will come when all these privilages you are enjoing will be gone. Iwe Shrek, talk about corruption, not those things you are trying to memorise???
The gentuluman cant see anything wrong. Where on earth did you find politicians presidising of on Tendering matters when we have technocrats employed and paid at high expense. By the time MMD leaves office this country will be a BIG SHELL. Lets us watch out. They are yet to dribble us 99-1
Mr Sata has been quoted as saying ‘In Zambia death is respected, it’s dignified.’ (The Post online, cited 21 May 2009). Many of the people who blog on this site are well off enough to hire ‘Ambassador’s funeral palor’ to look after their funeral arrangements. In a country where the majority live on less than a dollar a day, death is definitely not dignified. I have witnessed coffins transported to the cemetery in the back of pick up vans also serving as seats for the mourners. The mortality rate for all humans (till the time of the snatching away) is 100%. We may be poor, but at least let us die in style!! (lol) Walked all my life and could have been taken to grave in a wheel barrow, but now I have a first and last ride in a ‘car’ imported from China! Wow! I welcome the hearse!
1 need to maintain food security by prioritizing measures to support the continued growth of the agricultural industry.
2. creation of a conducive business and investment climate by way of producing quality goods and services if the country was to compete favorably in the global economy.
3. implement and effectively monitor reforms under the private sector development program
4. government had put in place a framework for monitoring the implementation of all agreed policies, programs and projects on a monthly basis to ensure bottlenecks in the implementation process were easily identified.
NOW HANDS UP THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE THIS.
#16 Disgruntled Zedian
It is funny that when RB says things that have been said before, we hear…”we have heard that before.” When he says something new and different, Mr Sata says, ‘Where is continuity? He does not even mention the name of Mwanawasa?’
Politics, hey! It is adversarial and Mr Sata’s is war. If he had his way he could poison RB’s drinks. I once asked the late Dean Mungomba why he was promising what had been promised by others before him. His answer was simply ‘because they have not delivered.’ Perhaps Disgruntled Zedian this is your answer too.