President Rupiah Banda has warned that Government would not condone any public service worker who would resist Private Sector reforms. Mr. Banda said Government’s wish was to effectively and efficiently facilitate the growth of the Private Sector in the country.
He added that all public officials must regard the Private Sector as valuable customers and should therefore fully support its role in the country’s economy. ZANIS reports that the President said this in Livingstone yesterday when he officially opened the 7th Zambia International Business Advisory Council (ZIBAC) meeting.
President Banda said Government wanted to make the business environment friendlier and that a number of decisions have since been implemented to further improve the investment climate and increase foreign investments.
‘’In addition, our overall ease of doing business ranking is now at 76 out of 183 countries. Last year, Zambia was recognised as one of the top ten reformers in the world. This is as a result of deliberate and concerted efforts by my Government to improve our investment climate,’’ he said.
He added that todate, 92 licences required to start business in the country have been eliminated, 43 reclassified and 13 amalgamated into four. He said as a result, the Private Sector had made savings of about K68.8 billion through the elimination of licences while an additional K76.5 billion had been saved through the reclassification of 38 local government business permits into a single business levy. Mr. Banda said Government, last year (2010) alone, attracted investments worth US$2 billion and 18,000 businesses were registered.
He said the theme of ZIBAC ‘’Investment for jobs and wealth creation’’ was a fitting reflection of the Government’s determination to attract quality investment into the country for the ultimate purpose of creating jobs and wealth for the people.
President Banda said Government had in the last decade recorded impressive economic growth alongside significant investment inflows. ‘’Zambia has in the last decade recorded impressive economic growth alongside significant investment inflows. The challenge we face however, is to translate this investment into jobs and wealth creation for all. I am sure you will agree with me that the best way to win the fight against poverty is to create quality jobs for our people and my Government is determined to do just that,’’ he said.
[pullquote]The challenge we face however, is to translate this investment into jobs and wealth creation for all. I am sure you will agree with me that the best way to win the fight against poverty is to create quality jobs for our people and my Government is determined to do just that,’’ he said.[/pullquote]
He noted that while foreign direct investment had resulted in new jobs for Zambians, the level of unemployment particularly amongst the youth was still a serious concern for the Government.
He said Zambia was a country with a youthful population for whom Government had to provide opportunities where the youths could either become entrepreneurs and subsequently become employers or employees as investments opened up more jobs for them.
Mr. Banda said Government was also investing in expanding the road and railway networks and trade facilitation infrastructure such as ultra-modern borders and weigh-in-facilities.
He said other developments includeded farm blocks, multi-facility economic zones and the optic fibre network. The President added that Government had the political will and commitment to further the reform process and would continue to do so in the future.
Speaking earlier, ZIBAC Chairman Lord Simon Cairns said the Private Sector and Government have to work together, if the poverty levels were to be reduced. Lord Cairns also called on Zambia and other African countries to seriously think of engaging in intra-trade among the countries on the continent.
He said there was need to enter into a painful adjustment of cooperating within the region and consequently entering into a free trade zone. He said Zambia had the huge potential of water for agriculture and therefore, she was capable of becoming a food basket in the region.
Lord Cairns said progress had been made in electricity power generation but noted that the country should not only become self sufficient in electricity but should also become a major exporter of the commodity in the region.
He however, bemoaned the fact that Zambia was not known in many fields as it should and added that the country’s economic successes were not broadly advertised.
ZANIS
Continue developing the nation Mr. President. We need a pro business govt that will see to it that the private sector is the main engine of growth. This is great Mr. President.
Mr RB, can you urgently address warn your disciples against violence… kamwala is on fire… Its MMD vs PF
Yu ba Some of Us; how can the government aim to reform the “private sector” and expect the “public workforce” to implement that? Isn’t it supposed to be reform of the “public sector” to support the issues in the “private sector”?
Thank God we don’t need the immoral MPs who chew with both hands to implement public sector reforms. We are going to deliver best value for any Zambian who truly believes in the values of hard work and then reward. We are creating opportunities and getting rid of all the obstacles to help our people create real wealth and real value ..and this will not be done in 90 days but is shall surely be done.
Some things just take time and we need to be patient and wait. Despite all the technological advancement man has made, it still takes 9 months to put a human being into a production environment (earth) from the time of inception. It has always been and it shall always be. Key is patience and doing the right thing.
Mr President, you are on the right path, please don’t deviate but continue to lead us “…..on the journey to tomorrow’s Zambia, together…”.
There will be many distractions on the way but we shall reach the Zambia of tomorrow.
Looks like you in are denial mode Mr President! Take an example of Zamtel which was sold in haste and this time please try to sit back and reflect on what the Zambian people want. Why this rush?
#6 sorry ‘a’ in place of ‘are’
He added. He noted, He warned, President Banda said, President banda..
seriously sometimes some articles on here are too hard to read, I question the education acumen of some reporting, I think , Its an embarrasement, one ought to be reading the news enjoying and be easily informed.
Why are some reports abysmal on here, I question some qualifications of some reporters, pardon my ignorance, but I was on a Ghana and Trinidad site, and their reporting is more astitute, forthright and briliant
I think some reporters ought to learn and read artciles from other tabloids. one word..embarrasing…
My fiance was questioning, how i dont ever find this difiicult o understand, You know what he is right
Thanks
Mushota, you are a woman after my own heart! lol! you are so right, what happened to serious reporting? News flash, riots in Lusaka! Kwena has Zambia gone to the dogs or maybe the dogs have come to Zambia?
Mushota# you fool, zambia is for zambians not that shit you want to say about ghana swine ewe
For private sector to grow, Zambia needs to reduce the level of corruptions that today besieges our country. The ball is in the president’s court, and he must not only talk but put his words into action. There is no country in the world with our level of corruption that has ever developed. We all need to do more, and cage thieves like Chiluba, Chungu, Machungwa to mention but a few. Civil servants only perform better if they trust their government. RB should divorce himself from FTJ, and cause his government to be transparent. Let him avoid deals like the one Siliya conducted at Ministry of transport. Private Sector without a good governance is bound to fail. Viva Zambia!
I dont condone you Rupiah Banda. What do you have to say about that? Mpuno
FAKE DECEITIFUL SPEECHES AS USUAL. POVERTY AND UNEMPLOYMENT LEVELS ARE SKYROCKETING,NOT TO TALK ABOUT CORRUPTION AND KILLINGS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE.
YOU HAVE FAILED TO GIVE ZAMBIANS A CONSTITUTION WHICH REFLECT OUR WISHES AND ASPIRATIONS.WE REFUSE GEORGE’S FAKE CONSTITUTION.
OUR ONLY HOPES ARE IN PF AND SATA NOW.
VOTE SATA AND PF FOR A PEOPLE DRIVEN CONSTITUTION AND GOOD GOVERNANCE.
#13 you the one that’s the only solution for zambia i am with you
13 You sound Kaponya,
From your capital lockings, mispelt words, your name which i am sure you think it is splet correctly as ‘warrior’
You are showing how shallow minded you are, and deserve no respect fron anyone. I dont think you should respect yourself either. You are an example of a biolgical mistake who has no feelings for other people. Shame, I am surprised you havent been deported
I would pay anyone to make sure i I never get to see you in my life, but then again I am in Glasgow, how can I doubt that.
Thanks
@Mushota: slpet? Did you mean to say ‘spelt’? Is that how it is ‘splet’ in Glasgow? Hehehe!
# 15 I SURELY DON’T NEED ANYONE’S RESPECT BUT I WILL ALWAYS RESPECT THE DESERVING PEOPLE. IF MY BEING WHERE I AM BOTHERS YOU THAT’S NOT MY PROBLEM AND I DON’T CARE WHERE YOU ARE AND WHO YOU ARE.I DONT NEED YOU IN ANY WAY.
BUT
IF YOU WANT A COLD WAR, I AM GAME.
8 Mushota
I ugly wis yu intayali. The stet ov lipoting in Sambia is oful. Ze west is ZANIS folod bayi ZNBC. Ni beka beka ma fontini olemba nyuzi.
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe on Sunday has said foreign investors must
embrace Zimbabwe’s equity laws and treat locals as “senior partners”
if they wanted to operate in his country.
“Those whites who want to be with us, those outsiders who want to
work with us fine, they come in as partners, we are the senior partner,
no more the junior partner,” Mugabe said Sunday at the burial of
a party cadre at the national shrine.
“We are taking over. Listen Britain and America: this our country. If you
have companies which would want to work in our mining sector, they are
welcome to come and join us, but we must have our people as the major
shareholders,” he added.
The equity laws took effect in March last year and requires large foreign
corporations to give majority stakes to local shareholders.
“Lonhro, Anglo American, Rio Tinto you must transform and become Zimbabwean,
we want black people, our people, our young people. It’s another dimension
to the struggle. Let that lesson go deep,” Mugabe said.
Mugabe said Zimbabweans can now do things on their “own” adding that the
investors must come only on Zimbabwe’s terms.
“We can get them (foreign investors) as friends just as we got the Easteners
such as the Chinese, Indians and others, but they come as friends not as
our masters and superiors,” he said.
President Banda should fire whoever wrote this speech for him because it shows a lack of seriousness in addressing the challenges to private sector development in the country. What does warning public service workers not to frustrate private sector efforts really accomplish if your policies and institutions are so weak that they are unable to address deficiencies in governance and anti-corrpuption. I do applaud the President for investing in infrastructure because this sector has long been neglected but for as long as Government continues to fluff around real policy and institutional reform, we will not be able to fully realize the benefits of all these efforts.
Mushota the correct spelling of embarrassment & not EMBARRASEMENT or EMBARASING like you have stated. Don’t they teach you how to spell in Scotland?
Tongas and Politics.
It all dates back to the time before our independance. Only 2 parties were there at that time. A whiteman lead party and ANC a Tonga lead party. Then UNIP was form yet stil by Tongas – the Chonas. KK was in prison then. Chona handed over power to KK when he came out of prison to become the leader of the third party – UNIP. When asked- Chona said KK was better place educationly than HMK – ANC leader. This has been the mind set of the Tongas – always going for the best place leader in education and not tribal – a trag given to them by FTJ.
Time came when our national leaders needed to go to UK and speake with the Queen for our independance. Money was needed for that trip. Provinces were asked to finance this trip and money was collected but would meet the needed…
What garbage this is. What kind of fairly elected leDer has the audacity to stand up and undermine his on people while supporting a private sector that consists almost entirely of foreign entities and opportunistic politicians or their family members. In the wake of disgruntled striking employees, polluting foreign firms, employers that shoot Zambian employees, etc such a statement is a huge insult and exposes a huge disconnect between politicians and this they pretend to serve. Yours Mr. President is to serve us and not your bank account interests. As for the 9 month gestation period analogy by our not so sharp tool in the propaganda shed, think of a President Obama giving a speech to warn folks against questioning BP after the oil spill; no ounce of sense in that nor your analogy.
President RB is a ‘Man of Action’.
In just about two years the man has done remarkable and notable things.
SATA and his ‘Chiluba for Third Term’ in 10 solid years could not do even a third of what RB has archieved in 2 years.
You are not a man of action because you have cleaned UTH but because you have built UTH.
You are not a man of action because you have built a bridge but because you have built the road on which the bridge is.
Let us give credit where it is due even if it might hurt for some.
You know, the enemy get annoyed when you prosper.
Let us not behave like him (the enemy).
Bane don’t smoke Dobo before blogging otherwise you start sounding like imbeciles
#27 Nubian Princess,
You are write. when people smoke dobo they not only blog without much substance, but also they support gays and sometimes even become gays themselves. Their brain can never tell the reason why God made man and woman.
Some components of their brain give up. They see man like woman and woman like man. Everything loses mean; bad become good and good bad. What a shame!!!
I am starting to like this RB. He seems to be focused and tries to follow the law. All Zambians must give him a second chance to be President of Zambia. Let HH and Sata continue to wrangle.
#29 – WABA AKASONSO!
Mugabe is the president indeed,though the economy seems not to do well,he still has confidence in his own people to be empowered while he welcomes foreigners to partner with zimbabweans.I salute ROBERT MUGABE for his stance on LOCAL empowerment.If only zambia had a firm president like robert,Shoprite wouldnt fire all employees,Mines would have been paying full taxes.why should one obtain a tender or contract unless you are an MMD cadre or you should be close to corridors of power sure?twakana to corruption and politics of benefits
Who are the private sectors in Zambia??
please someone feed me on this one.
Even Saddam, Gaddafi and Mubarak has supporters despite being murderers. I’m not suprised to see pipo shower praises to pipo sinking. George and William are destroying this country due to their deceit and love for money. As for George Kunda its like he is skilled in misleading Presidents!
The reporter of this story has no clue what she/he is reporting about hence the poor intro
#29 Umuntu mutwe.
Respect who u r.
dont be stupid’
#29 and Mushota
Upgrade your upstairs!